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| Citizens wait in line to go through COVID-19 testing at a temporary testing facility in front of Seoul Station, Sunday. / Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
The government's adjustment of detailed antivirus guidelines is triggering a "fairness" issue, as the decision allows private education institutes and ski resorts to resume operation while continuing to suspend the operation of indoor sports facilities such as gyms.
Operators of indoor sports facilities are reacting to the government's decision, claiming that the continued suspension of their operation is threatening their survival, and that private education institutes and ski resorts also present infection risks as some of those places have already seen outbreaks.
On Saturday, the government announced a decision to extend the current Level 2.5 social distancing measures ― the second-highest in the five-tier scheme ― for the greater Seoul area by two weeks until Jan. 17, as there has been no particular sign of a slowdown in infections in the region.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the country added 657 more infections for Saturday including 641 locally transmitted cases, raising the total caseload to 63,244.
The daily infections fell from 824 cases identified Friday, but health authorities are staying vigilant as this may have been due to decreased testing over the weekend. Additionally, 20 more people died, raising the death toll to 962.
When announcing the extension of Level 2.5 measures, the government noted that it will allow small private education institutes to resume operation starting Monday, as long as they maintain the number of attendees within nine.
This will allow taekwondo or ballet academies to resume operation with a limited number of children as long as they are registered as private education institutes.
"We decided to permit taekwondo academies to resume operation as an exception because they mainly target children and offer a kind of childcare service while parents are at work," a KDCA official said.
The government also decided to allow ski reports and sledding slopes to resume operation as long as they limit the number of visitors to less than one third of their usual capacity. They are required to close the facilities after 9 p.m.
The government, however, decided to maintain a ban on operation of gyms, indoor golf practice ranges, billiard rooms and other indoor sports facilities, based on the belief that those facilities carry a higher risk of infection.
Health experts have pointed out that infections can occur at anytime and anywhere.
In fact, a ballet academy in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, and a ski resort in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, suffered outbreaks in October and December, respectively.
"Nobody can say infections could occur at gyms, but not at ski resorts," said Chun Eun-mi, a pulmonologist at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.
In protest against the government's decision, those who operate gyms and Pilates classes have staged one-person relay protests in front of the National Assembly and Cheong Wa Dae, while 153 operators have filed a lawsuit for damages against the government, according to the Pilates and Fitness Business Association.
Some users of indoor sports facilities joined criticism of the government.
"I want to ask the government whether gyms where people wear face masks while exercising are dangerous, and whether restaurants where people do not wear face masks while eating are safe," one online commentator wrote on Facebook.
