As the number of COVID-19 cases is growing nationwide, Jeju Island has raised the social distancing level to 1.5.
Private events with over 100 participants are banned as well as high-risk facilities and indoor sports facilities are closed again.
Todd Thacker reports.

A notice is being taped to the door of this indoor swimming pool.

It says the facility is temporarily closed due to COVID-19.
The swimming pool has again closed after just a month.


As the social distancing level has been raised, public indoor sports facilities are now shuttered from Friday, Dec.4.


The province raised the social distancing level to 1.5, the second level in the five-level scale of 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3 in order to minimize physical contacts with others.

Under level 1.5, indoor public events can only have fewer than 50 participants. Outdoor public gatherings are allowed if there are fewer than 100 participants.
All indoor and outdoor private events with over 100 participants are banned.


Facilities with a higher risk of virus infection are required to adopt stricter quarantine measures.


Visitors are not allowed to move from one to another table at bars and clubs.
Internet cafes and theaters should keep an empty seat between two occupied seats.
At restaurants and cafes larger than 150 square meters, a 1-meter gap between tables must be observed.



The number of spectators at sporting events is limited to 10 percent of maximum capacity of the venue.
Public facilities are allowed to welcome up to 30 percent of their capacity.
Those numbers are stricter than the national guidelines.

Religious facilities are allowed to welcome less than 30 percent of their capacity and small group meetings and eating in the facilities are banned.
The provincial office has stressed that violators and visitors who knowingly travel to Jeju with COVID-19 symptoms will be subject to strict punishments.


The province says that these stricter social distancing protocols will be in effect until the end of the year regardless of the number of daily infections.

Todd Thacker, KCTV