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Chairs placed on tables at a restaurant in Hadong County, South Gyeongsang Province, in compliance with Level 2 social distancing measures on Nov. 22. (Yonhap News)

After South Korea’s daily caseload of COVID-19 exceeded 300 for five consecutive days, the South Korean government announced that it will be elevating social distancing restrictions in Greater Seoul to Level 2 starting Nov. 24. The stricter restrictions will ban gatherings at nightlife establishments and limit cafés to takeout and delivery.

South Korea’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCHQ) reported on Nov. 22 that social distancing rules in the Seoul Capital Area (SCA) and in the Honam region would be raised to Level 2 and Level 1.5, respectively. The stricter rules will take effect on Nov. 24 and remain in place until Dec. 7. The upgrade to Level 2 comes just five days after Seoul and Gyeonggi Province adopted Level 1.5 measures on Nov. 19 and only one day after Incheon did the same on Nov. 23.

“As cases continue to increase, we have been seeing over 200 cases a day in Greater Seoul and over 200 cases a day in the entire country since Friday,” the CDSCHQ said, explaining the rationale for the stricter rules.

On Sunday, South Korea’s disease control authorities said the daily caseload is expected to rise above 600 by the beginning of December. Authorities warn that Korea stands at a critical crossroads given the likelihood of a nationwide COVID-19 outbreak that would go beyond what happened to Korea during its first and second waves.

“The rise of the third wave has brought us to an extremely serious and grave situation. If individual Koreans stay more alert and refrain from unnecessary meetings and company meals, we can stop the infection from spreading,” Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo emphasized on Sunday.

By Park Jun-young, staff reporter

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