[아주경제 오늘의 뉴스 종합] The current social distancing has been extended by two weeks… Department stores and hypermarkets also apply the quarantine pass, etc.

The government is extending the current social distancing system for two weeks. Prevention measures such as a limit of 4 people for private gatherings and restrictions on business hours for multiple facilities will be maintained.



Deok-cheol Kwon, the 1st deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of Health and Welfare), announced the social distancing adjustment plan in the briefing held at the government complex in Seoul on the morning of the 31st.



Accordingly, measures such as limiting the operating hours of multiple facilities such as four national private gatherings, entertainment facilities, restaurants, and cafes from 9 to 10 pm will remain in place. This measure will be maintained for two weeks from January 3 to 16 next year.



In addition, stores, marts, department stores, and other large-scale stores with a size of more than 3,000 square meters will be added to the subject of the vaccination certificate and voice verification system (anti-epidemic pass). However, in order to minimize confusion on site, it will be implemented from January 10 next year and will be operated as a guidance period until the 16th. With this, the number of facilities applying the quarantine pass has increased to a total of 17.



In the case of movie theaters and performance halls, it was previously possible to operate only until 10 pm, but in consideration of the nature of the industry, there are restrictions on business during the afternoon hours, so you can enter until 9 pm based on the start time of movie screenings and performances.



If there are less than 50 people, participation in events and assemblies is possible without distinction of inoculation, and if there are more than 50 people, up to 299 people with only those who have completed the vaccination. Events with more than 300 people are managed under the approval of the relevant ministries, and only essential events are not approved during the period of strengthening social distancing.



Religious facilities can accommodate up to 30% of the occupancy regardless of whether or not they are vaccinated, and up to 70% if only those who have been vaccinated can be accommodated.

◆ Sinkhole near Madu Station in Goyang City… Concerns about the collapse of a commercial building

An underground column of a building near Madu Station in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do collapsed.



At 11:35 a.m. on the 31st, an accident occurred in which a column on the 3rd basement level was partially ruptured in a commercial building in Madu-dong, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do.



As a result, the road in front of the entrance to the parking lot of the building collapsed, creating a sinkhole.



Shopping mall users were evacuated after the information was broadcast from the management office, and no casualties have been reported so far.



Goyang City held an emergency meeting at the Janghang 2-dong Administrative Welfare Center on the afternoon of the same day, presided over by Lee Jae-joon, Mayor of Goyang to discuss countermeasures.

To ensure the safety of the building’s occupants and citizens, the city has issued a restraining order for the building. It was decided to restrict access to and use of the building until the safety of the building is finally confirmed.

To determine the exact cause, the city issued an emergency inspection order and selected a specialized company to conduct the inspection.


◆ Lee Jae-myung and Yun Seok-yeol within the margin of error… Ahn Cheol-soo’s approval rating rises

In the multilateral showdown, Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung and People’s Power presidential candidate Yoon Seok-yeol show a gap within the margin of error, and Ahn Cheol-soo’s rise in the approval rating of the People’s Party presidential candidate is a hot topic.



As a result of a survey (published on the 31st) conducted by Research & Research on 1,013 adults aged 18 and over nationwide from the 27th to the 29th, commissioned by the Segye Ilbo, Candidate Lee recorded 35.6% and Candidate Yoon recorded 30.8%.



The difference between the two candidates’ approval ratings is 4.8 percentage points, which is close to the margin of error (6.2 percentage points).



Candidate Ahn, who had struggled with single-digit approval ratings so far, recorded 10.3%, recording double-digit approval for the first time. Justice Party candidate Shim Sang-jung came in second with 4.1 percent.



‘I’m not sure’ was 7.5%, and ‘No suitable person’ was 7.0%.



The sampling error of this survey is ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The survey method was one-on-one telephone interview (wireless 79%, landline 21%).



For more information, visit the website of the National Election Opinion Survey Deliberation Committee.


◆ National ‘New Year’s Bell’ event canceled this year… Closing of sunrise spots

This year, due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, the bell-ringing events across the country on the 31st have been canceled or broadcast online.

The Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation, a subsidiary of Gyeonggi-do, canceled the New Year’s Eve Bell Ringing Ceremony at Imjingak Paju. The performance event to be held at the Uijeongbu Arts Center will also be pre-recorded as an unattended performance and will be broadcast through the foundation’s YouTube channel from 10:30 pm on the same day.

The city of Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, canceled the New Year’s Eve ringing event that was scheduled to be held at Yeomingak in front of Hwaseong Haenggung Palace. Incheon City and Daejeon City also canceled the ringing event for two years in a row.

Gyeongju-si holds the bell-ringing ceremony of the Great Bell of the Shilla Dynasty and records and broadcasts it. The bell-ringing ceremony is also attended by a minimum number of people.

Gyeongsangnam-do has canceled events such as bell-ringing events hosted by each city and county and also closed major sunrise spots. Gyeongsangbuk-do Yeongdeok and Uljin also canceled ringing events.

The city of Seoul will hold the Bosingak Ringing event online this year as it did last year. Especially this year, we will use the metaverse. The city of Seoul broadcast live video of last year’s bell-ringing event. This year’s event will be held at SKT’s metaverse platform ‘Ifland’. Anyone can attend the event using a smartphone, and communicate with other users by watching real-time video of the bell.