Korea set to lift COVID-19 restrictions on operating hours, private gatherings

Ahn Cheol-soo, the chairman of the presidential transition committee, speaks during a press conference on policy recommendations for the government's COVID-19 response measures, held at the committee's office in Seoul, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps

Transition team suggests gov't push back curfew on multiuse facilities to midnight

By Lee Hyo-jin

The presidential transition committee urged the government to review lifting COVID-19 restrictions such as limits on operating hours of multiuse facilities, Wednesday, once it is determined that the current Omicron wave has passed its peak.

"If the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters confirms that infections have entered a downward trend, social distancing measures should be relaxed," Shin Young-hyun, a spokeswoman of the committee, said during a briefing.

"In particular, we have recommended the government to remove limits on operating hours (of multiuse facilities), which do not seem very effective (in curbing the virus spread)," she added. The committee suggested that the government extend the limit on operating hours for businesses to midnight and increase the cap on gatherings to 10 people.

Under the current distancing measures, up to eight people are allowed to hold private gatherings, while multiuse facilities such as cafes and eateries may receive sit-in customers until 11 p.m. As these measures are set to end on April 2, the health ministry will announce the next set of measures on Friday.

Earlier in the day, the committee unveiled its set of policy recommendations for the government's COVID-19 response policies.

Ahn Cheol-soo, the chairman of the transition committee, who concurrently heads the subcommittee on COVID-19 response, criticized the government for continuously relaxing quarantine rules even before the current wave had reached its peak.

"Unlike other countries where the distancing measures were eased after passing the peak, our government lifted measures too early, before seeing the peak. This was wrong," he said during a press conference held at the committee's office in Seoul.

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Ahn's remarks came as the country continues to grapple with unrelenting numbers of infections and deaths.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 424,641 new infections for Tuesday, with the number of patients in critical condition hitting an all-time high of 1,301. The agency added 432 COVID-19-related deaths, the second-highest number of daily fatalities.

Ahn also called for the government preemptively to introduce response measures for the surging number of critical patients and deaths.

In addition, he reiterated his earlier stance that the government should postpone a planned ban on the use of disposable plastic cups at coffee shops and restaurants, which the Ministry of Environment seeks to reinstate on April 1.

As part of its efforts to reduce plastic waste, the government has restricted cafes and eateries from using single-use plastic cups for sit-in customers since August 2018. However, the measure was lifted temporarily following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

"As I have said earlier, the outright ban on the use of plastic cups should be pushed back until the virus situation is stabilized, in order to minimize the burden on small businesses that are already struggling due to the pandemic," he said.

Ahn added that the environment ministry is "positively reviewing" the committee's proposal.

People wait to undergo COVID-19 testing at a screening center near Seoul Station, Wednesday. Yonhap

Meanwhile, Ahn said that several policy proposals made by the transition committee last week have already been reflected in the government's COVID-19 measures, stressing that the incoming administration led by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol will carry out quarantine policies based on scientific data.

In response to the committee's recommendation to expand antibody testing on a regular basis, the KDCA has decided to conduct the testing on 10,000 people, according to Ahn.

During a press briefing held on March 22, Ahn called for regular antibody testing in order to detect people who have been infected and recovered from the virus without knowing, which would enable the government to introduce policies based on the resulting data.

In addition, the health ministry said it will establish a big data platform on COVID-19 patients and vaccine side effects, in response to the committee's proposal for disclosure and thorough analysis of data about patients, side effects of vaccines and other information related to the pandemic.

"I believe that more people will be able to trust the government's pandemic response, if they are provided with transparent and detailed data related to the pandemic," Ahn said, welcoming the ministry's decision.

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