Starting today, quarantine passes for private academies and marts will be lifted.

◀ anchor ▶

The quarantine pass for department stores and large marts, where controversy over equity has arisen, will be lifted from today in all regions of the country.

However, the ‘Youth Quarantine Pass’ will be implemented as scheduled from March.

Correspondent Kim A-young.

◀ Report ▶

The quarantine pass system will also be suspended at hypermarkets and department stores outside of Seoul.

[강일성/마트 직원]

“The personnel who previously performed quarantine pass certification will be assigned to another department and will work.”

This is because the government extended the suspension to all regions of the country when the court’s decision to suspend the quarantine pass only at large supermarkets and department stores in Seoul caused confusion.

Accordingly, the quarantine pass application will be lifted for 6 types of facilities, including large marts and department stores, academies, reading rooms, libraries, and movie theaters.

The government said that as the scale of the corona epidemic has decreased, facilities with low risk have decided to ease quarantine passes to increase public acceptance.

[권덕철/보건복지부 장관]

“The government is planning to release the quarantine pass for facilities that allow people to wear masks at all times and have low saliva discharge activity (low risk).”

The government has made it clear that it will continue to maintain the youth quarantine pass, which is scheduled to be implemented in March.

The proportion of confirmed cases under the age of 18 accounts for more than 25% of the total number of confirmed cases, so a quarantine pass is necessary.

[손영래/중앙사고수습본부 사회전략반장]

“(In the future), when Omicron is prevalent, we are looking at the possibility that the infection will spread significantly, mainly among these youths.”

From March, the government plans to apply the quarantine pass as scheduled for PC rooms, singing practice areas, restaurants and cafes that are frequently used by teenagers.

The government is expecting the court to allow the youth quarantine pass in the case of the main issue as the learning facilities are excluded from the quarantine pass.

This is Kim Ah-young from MBC News.

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