Announcement of quarantine measures today... Review of allowing 6-8 people to gather during Chuseok

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Today (3rd), the government is announcing new quarantine measures to be continued for the next month, including the Chuseok holiday. The social distancing phase is expected to be maintained, and plans to ease the limit of the number of private gatherings to 6 or 8 people are being actively considered during the Chuseok holiday only.

Reporter Kim Deok-hyun reports.

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is a restaurant in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.

The fourth stage of social distancing has been in effect for two months, and since last week, the business hours have been reduced by an additional hour to 9 pm.

[Lee Min-woo / Restaurant management in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul: I said to go short and bold, but this is going boldly and long. 'Let's hold on', not this, I want you to live... .]

Despite these difficulties, the government has decided to extend the current social distancing phase by four more weeks.

This is considering the number of confirmed cases around 2,000 a day and the amount of movement that will increase rapidly before and after Chuseok.

However, it is highly likely that some of the standards for the number of private meetings will be relaxed.

The government is actively reviewing measures to ease the number of gatherings in the 4th stage area, including the metropolitan area, for only five days during the Chuseok holiday from the 18th to the 22nd.

This is to increase to 6 or 8 people including those who have completed vaccination.

The first doses of the vaccine are likely to be included in the number limit.

We are also discussing a plan to allow additional gatherings for those who have completed the vaccination not only at restaurants and cafes but also at other multi-use facilities after 6 pm.

In the third stage, non-metropolitan areas, except for some local governments, the exception to the limit of the number of meetings for those who have completed vaccination is expected to be applied.

Here, local governments are proposing to delay the business hours of the self-employed by one hour to 10 pm.

The government announces a plan to adjust the distance at 11 a.m. today after a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.