SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURE RAISED

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Starting Monday and for 2 weeks, level 4 social distancing will apply in the capital region. The government has urged citizens to refrain from personal gatherings right away.

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In Friday's virus response meeting, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced Level 4 distancing will go into effect Monday for a duration of 2 weeks in the greater metro area. While the mesure is effective starting Monday, Kim asked the public to avoid holding personal gatherings immediately from Friday, in consideration of onsite preparations. Level 4 is the highest in the distancing scheme that indicates a major epidemic. Gatherings of up to 4 people are allowed before 6 p.m. and only up to 2 after 6 pm. All events and rallies with the exception of one-person protests are banned. Only family and relatives can attend weddings and funerals. Assembly bans on select entertainment venues such as pubs and nightclubs will continue while restaurants and cafes can open until 10 p.m. Religious facilities must operate online while sports games will have no spectators. During the 2 weeks of stepped-up distancing, eased safety measures for fully vaccinated people will also be put on hold. The prime minister said that as new COVID-19 cases are hitting record highs, the country faces the most serious quarantine crisis to date and called for a swift implementation of the tougher guidelines. He asked for the public’s understanding, especially in the capital area, and to once again endure the restrictions. As for losses inflicted on small business owners and the self-employed due to the latest measures, Kim vowed utmost efforts to provide support under a related compensation law. The PM again urged citizens to avoid going out and meeting up with others for a quicker return to normalcy, and abide by antivirus measures at all times. He also asked people to get tested preemptively even without the presence of symptoms.