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| A shopping mall in Seoul is crowded with people, Sunday. Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
The health authorities are on high alert over Halloween, as the upcoming celebration, during which time popular areas such as Itaewon and Gangnam are expected to be crowded with partygoers, could serve as catalyst for massive COVID-19 infections ahead of the government's planned shift to its "Living with COVID-19" plan.
They are also redoubling their efforts to boost the vaccination rate among foreign residents amid growing concerns that their lower participation in the inoculation program could pose a major setback to the policy shift.
The government is pushing to implement its "Living with COVID-19" measures from Nov. 1 at the earliest, under which the authorities will ease social distancing measures and focus more on managing critically ill patients rather than all infections, in a bid to achieve a phased return to "normal life."
But concerns have been raised that news about the government's plans to ease social distancing measures could lead more young people to flock to popular areas during the Halloween weekend at the end of October, as they could feel sense of freedom from rules that have lasted for more than a year.
Night clubs are still under the government's antivirus restrictions and have suspended their operations since July, but bars and pubs, which have not been affected by a complete ban, have already decorated their facilities with various Halloween items to attract celebrators.
In a bid to prevent potential mass infection clusters, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, local governments and police will jointly check bars, pubs and other entertainment facilities from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2 to make sure they are complying with antivirus measures.
Target areas are Itaewon and streets near Hongik University, and Gangnam and Seocho stations in Seoul; Yongin and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province; Bupyeong and streets near Inha University in Incheon; and Seomyeon in Busan.
"We will take stern measures against facilities that violate antivirus measures such as reduced business hours," a ministry official said.
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| Medical workers prepare for COVID-19 testing at a temporary testing center in Seoul Station, Sunday. Yonhap |
The authorities are also paying keen attention to the vaccination rate of foreign residents as the numbers appear to be lower than those of Korean nationals.
According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters, COVID-19 infections among foreign residents have continued to increase since the end of June, accounting for 20.9 percent of all cases reported here between Oct. 10 and 16.
But the vaccination rate stood at 49.4 percent for registered foreign residents and 53.8 percent for undocumented ones, according to data tallied by the Ministry of Justice.
These compared to the 70.1 percent for Korean nationals who have been fully vaccinated as of Saturday.
"Like many other countries, we are also concerned about unvaccinated people including foreign residents, as this could lead to an increase in deaths once antivirus measures are eased," Kwon Joon-wook, head of the Korea National Institute of Health, said during a media briefing.
In a bid to boost the vaccination rate among foreigners, relevant ministries are carrying out activities to promote a government policy that does not disadvantage undocumented foreign residents who seek vaccine shots.
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