Social distancing eased to Level 1...Suwon to selectively reopen public facilities

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] As the 'social distancing' level is eased, Suwon City will selectively reopen public facilities.

The government announced on the 12th that it will lower social distancing from Level 2 to Level 1.

Accordingly, Suwon City decided that 19 public libraries (including Seulgisaem, Jihyesaem, and Bareun-saem Children's Libraries) will reopen starting the 13th.

Book loans and returns are available, and reading rooms (reading seats) will operate at around 50% capacity. Children's material rooms will not operate seating. There are 'quarantine hours' twice daily (at noon and from 4 p.m. for 30 minutes), during which libraries cannot be used.

Tuesday through Friday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (children's material rooms 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.), weekends 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The three children's libraries will operate Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed every Monday.

Suwon City's three museums (Suwon Museum, Suwon Gwanggyo Museum, and Suwon Hwaseong Museum) and 'Open Culture Space Huseo' selectively reopened from the 12th. Visitor capacity is limited to '40 people per time slot,' and group tours of 10 or more are not allowed. Closed the first Monday of each month.

Suwon Municipal Art Museum (Suwon Municipal Ipark Art Museum, Suwon Art Exhibition Hall, Children's Eco-Art Experience Hall, and Art Space Gwanggyo) will open selectively from the 13th. Reservations can be made through the Suwon Municipal Art Museum website (http://suma.suwon.go.kr).

Suwon Municipal Ipark Art Museum and Art Space Gwanggyo can admit 60 people per session, 4 times daily; Suwon Art Exhibition Hall can admit 40 people per session, 4 times daily; Children's Eco-Art Experience Hall can admit 20 people per session, 8 times daily. If reserved slots are not filled, on-site applications are available. Up to 4 people per person can apply (reserve). Closed every Monday.

Comprehensive community welfare centers (6 locations) and senior welfare centers (6 locations) will sequentially reopen from the 12th, and senior community centers (513 locations) will reopen after designating infection prevention managers at each center. Restrictions on external access to nursing homes and senior care facilities will continue. Disabled person welfare facilities (30 locations) will sequentially reopen by program from the 12th. Women-related facilities (13 locations) and multicultural/foreigner facilities (3 locations) will reopen from the 12th.

Welfare facilities will operate non-face-to-face services concurrently, and the number of users will be limited to 50% or less of the maximum capacity per facility.

Childcare-related facilities such as daycare centers and community children's centers plan to end closures and resume special activities by external instructors in accordance with Gyeonggi Province's decision timing.

Neighborhood community centers currently have many residents visiting administrative welfare centers for the government's second disaster relief payment applications, so operations are planned to resume after the application deadline of November 13th.

Community autonomy committees, instructors, and students' opinions will be collected, and the neighborhood head will decide whether to resume operations. Neighborhoods that operate programs in separate spaces other than administrative welfare centers, such as culture centers, can start immediately at their own discretion.

Indoor public sports facilities (23 locations) will selectively reopen from the 14th. Only Suwon residents can use the facilities within 50% of user capacity. Outdoor sports facilities (172 locations) have been open since September 28th.

Users of public facilities must wear masks, and can enter after temperature checks and hand disinfection at art museum entrances.

Following the adjustment to Level 1 social distancing, the government plans to minimize facility operation shutdowns while strengthening precision quarantine measures according to risk levels by target group. The Seoul metropolitan area will maintain essential quarantine measures from Level 2 social distancing guidelines.

High-risk multi-use facilities will enforce 'core quarantine rules,' and restaurants, cafes, and other businesses with concerns about crowding will continue to implement 'in-store distancing.'

Seven private high-risk facility types that were 'prohibited from assembly' in 'Level 2 social distancing' will be eased to assembly restrictions (mandatory core quarantine rules). However, entertainment establishments will limit users to 1 person per 4㎡. The seven types are ▲indoor sports facilities (GX classes) ▲academies (300 or more people) ▲entertainment bars ▲social clubs ▲karaoke bars ▲coin-type noraebang (singing rooms) ▲buffets, etc.

Churches can hold in-person services, but worship capacity is limited (within 30% of seating capacity), and gatherings and meals are prohibited.

Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young stated, "In this social distancing level adjustment, the most important thing is not 'easing' but 'enforcement of core quarantine rules,'" and added, "We will continue intensive on-site inspections to ensure quarantine rules are followed, and will firmly respond to 'quarantine violations' that threaten community safety."