RESTRICTIONS TO BE SIMPLIFIED

[Anchor Lead]

Amidst the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the Korean government has decided to simplify social distancing measures, minimize business curfews, and restrict private gatherings.

[Pkg]

​The current social distancing measures consist of five levels. Level 3 restrictions ban gatherings of ten or more people. However, back in December, when the third wave of COVID-19 was raging in the nation...

[Soundbite] Yoon Tae-ho(Central Disaster Management HQs(Dec. 22, 2020)) : "Gatherings of five or more people are banned. Those who fail to comply must pay a fine."

Level 2.5 measures were enforced in the greater Seoul area, meaning gatherings of fewer than 50 people were technically permitted. The public lost trust in the government's policies due to lack of consistency.

[Soundbite] Kim Chae-mi(Seoul resident) : "It's inevitable, but I wish there were more clear guidelines."

Despite multiple cluster outbreaks at churches, nursing facilities and various workplaces, small businesses had to bear the brunt.

[Soundbite] Hong Sung-rae(Restaurant owner) : "They pass the burden to small businesses only. We can bear this for a few months, but it's been a year now. We're pushed to the brink."

The government decided to revise social distancing measures: Greater emphasis on individual behavior instead of imposing business restrictions. The goal is to evenly spread the social and economic burden of small businesses to the public. Facilities will have greater autonomy, but they must also take greater responsibility for violating safety precautions by suspending their operations and paying compensation for treating those that became infected. The revised plan calls for simplifying social distancing measures into three levels to make them easier to understand. Level 1 bans gatherings of ten or more people, level 2 - five or more people, and level 3 - three or more people.

[Soundbite] Ki Mo-ran(Prof., National Cancer Center) : "The current levels are difficult to comprehend for the public. Each time the level changes, it's hard to grasp what has changed."

When coronavirus cases spike, restaurants and bars in the U.S. are allowed to accept no more than four customers and operate until 10 p.m. The U.K. and Germany impose an 11 p.m. curfew on small businesses.