Suwon Strongly Recommends Closure of Indoor Smoking Rooms...Charter Bus Quarantine Measures Strengthened

[Suwon Ilbo=Seo Dong-young Reporter] Suwon City is strongly recommending the closure of indoor smoking rooms at multi-use facilities such as restaurants and cafes, and implementing enhanced quarantine measures for charter buses.

According to the city on the 24th, in line with the implementation of the "Strengthened Phase 2 Social Distancing" measures across the Seoul metropolitan area, the city is strongly recommending the closure of indoor smoking rooms at facilities that operate them, while the recommendation to close indoor smoking rooms will remain in effect until a separate notice of lifting is issued.

Indoor smoking rooms are "high-risk facilities" where close contact is inevitable as multiple people use the enclosed, narrow spaces without wearing masks, and there is a risk of infection through respiratory droplets. Currently, approximately 1,000 indoor smoking rooms are identified at restaurants and cafes in the city.

According to Article 49, Paragraph 1 of the "Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act," the Minister of Health and Welfare, provincial governors or mayors, county magistrates, and district heads can restrict or prohibit entertainment, assemblies, ceremonies, or other gatherings of many people to prevent infectious diseases.

Charter bus quarantine measures are being strengthened. From the 24th, operators of 17 charter bus companies (489 vehicles) in the Suwon area must maintain passenger manifests in the form of "QR code electronic entry/exit logs" or "handwritten manifests" until COVID-19 subsides.

Additionally, on-site inspections will be conducted to verify compliance with quarantine rules including vehicle disinfection, hand sanitizer placement, and mask-wearing by drivers and passengers. If shortcomings are found during on-site inspections, it may lead to "administrative orders" that mandate compliance with quarantine rules.

A city official stated, "Indoor smoking rooms, where people must use them without wearing masks in enclosed spaces, are places with a risk of COVID-19 spread," and urged smokers to "please smoke in outdoor smoking areas despite the inconvenience."

The official added, "We ask for your understanding and cooperation regarding the creation of charter bus passenger manifests as a measure to suppress infection," and called on "citizens to actively cooperate in the manifest creation process when using charter buses."