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| An owner of a Chinese restaurant in Seoul's Yangcheon District posts a notice, Sunday, about vaccine incentives announced by the government that allow private gatherings of up to four including two fully vaccinated people at restaurants and cafes after 6 p.m., starting Monday. Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
The government's vaccine incentives, including allowing private gatherings of up to four people at restaurants and cafes after 6 p.m. if two are fully vaccinated, are causing confusion and complaints among people, as the incentives are applied only to gatherings at such locations but excluding gatherings at home.
Controversy is growing as the incentives are putting people into situations where they have a greater risk of exposure to COVID-19 at crowded restaurants or cafes compared to in the privacy of a residence.
The government disclosed the measure, Friday, when announcing its decision to maintain the highest Level 4 distancing rules for the Seoul metropolitan area and Level 3 for most other regions for another two weeks until Sept. 5, as the fourth wave of infections here has yet to come under control.
According to revised rules applied from Monday, restaurants and cafes in regions under Level 4, which also include Busan, Daejeon and Jeju Island, are required to close at 9 p.m., an hour earlier than the previous 10 p.m. curfew. Only takeout and delivery services are available after that time.
The government also maintained a ban on private gatherings of three or more people after 6 p.m. for the regions. But it decided to allow gatherings of four at restaurants or cafes even after that time if two fully vaccinated people are included.
The government said the measure is meant to incentivize vaccination, but was actually considered a means aimed at allaying anger of small business owners who have suffered from falling sales amid the continued distancing rules.
But many people criticized the measure, claiming that applying the vaccine incentives only to restaurants and cafes does not make sense, as this seems to mean that four people including two fully vaccinated ones cannot meet at a home.
"I don't understand the government's intention. So, is the government encouraging people to go out and take the risk of spreading the virus, rather than holding gatherings at home?" one internet user wrote on Naver's news section.
Another user wrote, "Such incentives would result in people flocking to restaurants or cafes, which would increase the risk of infections."
In response, the government said it had to remain cautious about applying the incentives to private home gatherings, as it could result in such gatherings behind closed doors getting out of hand.
"If we apply the vaccine incentives to gatherings at home, more people will want to visit their elderly parents. In this case, people will stay at the same place for a long time, rather than leaving the place after a short meeting," Sohn Young-rae, a senior official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said during a media briefing, Sunday.
He said the government will consider expanding application of the incentives after monitoring developments in the virus situation and the country's vaccination rate.
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