S Korea allows gatherings of 10-12 people, business to operate 24 hrs

South Korea's phased scheme of daily life recovery, called 'With Corona' will take effect from 5 am on November 1.

It allows public gathering up to 10 people in the metropolitan area and 12 people in the non-metropolitan areas, and most facilities such as restaurants and cafes can be operated 24 hours. Some multi-use facilities with high risk of infection, including entertainment and sports facilities, will adopt the 'Quarantine Pass (vaccination certification or PCR-test negative certificate)' system.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, the Korean government begins implementing the first stage from November 1 in accordance with the three stage scheme of phased recovery of daily life confirmed on October 29.

First, as regulations on working hours are removed, most of the business facilities, including restaurants and cafes, can be operated 24 hours a day.

But high-risk facilities such as bars, clubs, discotheques, and cabarets are restricted to operate until 12 am.

Business facilities can be open until dawn from November 2. This is because the quarantine authorities decided to implement the first stage from 5 am on November 1 to prevent Halloween day (October 31) events and parties from continuing to dawn the next day.

Private gatherings will be available up to 10 people in the Seoul metropolitan area and up to 12 people in the non-metropolitan areas, regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not. However, only four unvaccinated people are allowed to gather at a restaurants or cafes, where it is difficult to wear a mask.

The number of people at events and conventions is also allowed up to 99 if unvaccinated people are included and up to 499 if only those who have vaccination certificate or COVID-19 negative certificate.

Existing regulations are applied to weddings, exhibitions, fairs, and international conferences where more than 100 people, including unvaccinated people.

Movie theaters and outdoor sports stadiums can prepare a vaccine zone, and foods and drinks are only allowed in this zone.

When using high-risk facilities such as karaoke, public bath, entertainment facilities, horse and cycle race track, and casino or visiting patients at spread vulnerable facilities, the 'Quarantine Pass', a completion of vaccination certificate or PCR-test negative certificate, must be possessed.

But those under the age of 18, completely cured people of COVID-19, and those who couldn't be vaccinated for medical reasons are allowed to use facilities without a certificate.

Face-to-face learning is also gradually resumed. Students at elementary, middle, and high school will back to the school from the 22nd of next month, the following Monday after the college scholastic ability test (November 18). This is the first time in about a year and 8 months since the online learning started on April 9 last year.

(ANI)

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