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A student at an elementary school in Seoul’s Seongbuk District receives instructions for online classes on Aug. 18. (Kim Myoung-jin, staff photographer)

As of Aug. 19, all indoor events with 50 or more people and all outdoor events with 100 or more people are banned in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province. High-risk businesses such as karaoke rooms, buffet-style restaurants, and internet gaming centers are all required to close. Churches in the Seoul Capital Area (SCA) will only be allowed to hold services online.

These are all part of the tougher social distancing measures that the government has adopted as the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to rise. The measures have been swiftly put into place in order to stop the virus from spreading beyond the SCA and around the country.

In an emergency meeting on the afternoon of Aug. 18, South Korea’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) decided to fully activate the second level (Level 2) of social distancing. High-risk facilities had been allowed to remain in operation despite the nominal adoption of Level 2 social distancing on Aug. 16, but just two days later, the authorities have moved to close them down. The scope of the measures has also been extended from Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to Incheon, encompassing the entire SCA.

“We stand at a critical juncture. If we cannot restore order right now, COVID-19 could rapidly spread across the entire country,” said Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun in a public statement announcing the measures. Chung also directs the Central Disease Control Headquarters.

The government’s tougher disease control measures reflect the explosive rise in new cases of COVID-19, which have been growing by triple digits for five consecutive days. On Aug. 16, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported that 246 new cases had been diagnosed the previous day, with cases occurring in 12 provinces and metropolitan areas, including the SCA. Korea has seen 991 new infections in the last five days alone. A total of 457 cases have occurred in connection with Sarang Jeil Church, in Seoul’s Seongbuk District, leading to secondary and tertiary infections. Infection clusters are breaking out not only at churches but also at police stations, schools, and hospitals, with the authorities unable to conduct contact tracing.

The full implementation of Level 2 social distancing imposes a ban on all indoor meetings and events that involve 50 or more people, including exhibitions, concerts, and weddings. Twelve categories of high-risk facilities, including buffet-style restaurants, internet gaming centers, and large after-school academies catering to 300 or more students, are required to shut their doors as well. Violations of the ban on gatherings are subject to a fine of up to 3 million won (US$2,535).

Museums and other indoor public facilities are halting their operations as well. Disease control measures are also being tightened at churches, which have been a key link in the chain of recent infection clusters. Churches in the SCA are only allowed to hold services online, and all other gatherings and events are forbidden.

For now, the authorities only intend to maintain these measures through Aug. 30, but that period may be adjusted depending on how the virus spreads. If the Central Disease Control Headquarters is unable to bring the outbreak under control, it will also consider raising social distancing rules to Level 3, which would ban all gatherings and events of 10 or more people.

These are the toughest disease control measures to be implemented since COVID-19 cases were first diagnosed in South Korea. Experts say that the participation of the general public will be necessary for the measures to be effective. The authorities are also advised to consider raising social distancing measures not only in the SCA but around the country.

“The government must provide very specific behavioral guidelines and persuade citizens to cooperate as much as possible if we are to overcome the crisis as we did in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province back in February,” said Kim Woo-ju, a professor of infectious disease at Korea University Guro Hospital.

By Hwang Ye-rang and Noh Ji-won, staff reporters

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