STRICTER SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES

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From December 18th to January 2nd, private gatherings will be limited to only four people nationwide. Restaurants and cafes will be allowed to open until nine p.m. to a maximum four vaccinated customers.

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​On Thursday morning, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum convened a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters at the Government Complex Seoul. The session, originally scheduled for Friday, was moved up to announce the finalized strengthened social distancing guidelines. This indicates the government regards the current situation as very dire.

[Soundbite] Kim Boo-kyum(Prime Minister) : "We can overcome this crisis only when we contain the spread quickly through stronger social distancing measures. It is most crucial to reduce face-to-face contacts and minimize the duration of not wearing masks."

The PM said from December 18th to January 2nd private gatherings nationwide are limited to only up to four people. Restaurants and cafes are allowed to open only until nine p.m. and only up to four fully vaccinated customers can enter those establishments. Unvaccinated individuals either have to be alone or order takeouts or deliveries. Multipurpose facilities are divided into three groups depending on their mask-wearing and eating rules, and their operation hours will be restricted accordingly. Group 1 consisting of high-risk entertainment facilities and Group 2 comprised of restaurants and cafes will be allowed to operate until nine p.m. Movie theaters, performance halls, and internet cafes in Group 3, can stay open until ten p.m. but cram schools for teenagers are exempted. Also, large events or assembly will have reduced capacity and exhibits, trade shows and international conferences beyond a certain size will have to implement the “vaccine pass” system. The tougher social distancing measures will be enforced for sixteen days, from this Saturday, December 18th, to January 2nd. The Prime Minister also talked about compensating small and self-employed businesses bound to suffer losses from the restrictions.

[Soundbite] Kim Boo-kyum(Prime Minister) : "We hope to provide more assistance under the name of disease control subsidy. The government will discuss with relevant ministries before finalizing and announcing detailed assistance plans."

The daily COVID-19 tally for Thursday stood at 7,622. 25 additional critical cases were reported in a single day, bringing that total to a record daily high of 989.