COVID-19 pass system to start at superstores and department stores

Starting from Monday, the COVID-19 pass scheme is put in place at large-size supermarkets and department stores. When citizens use a quarantine pass that expires the valid duration of 180 days after the second vaccination is administered on their visit to restaurants and cafes, they are subject to a penalty.

The quarantine pass system will be put in place starting from Monday at large-size stores of 3,000 square meters or larger as defined by the Distribution Industry Development Act such as super supermarkets, department stores and bookstores, said the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters on Sunday. That is, around 2.7 million citizens of 19 years old or above are not allowed to enter the facilities in question unless they have certificates of full recovery from COVID-19, negative PCR test results or explanatory statements on unavailability for inoculation issued because they have not been vaccinated yet or their vaccination pass has already expired. Once a week’s grace period is over, violators are levied 100,000 won and a business owner involved is fined 1.5 million won starting from next Monday.

As a total of 13 types of facilitates such as restaurants, cafes and karaokes have their grace period finished as of Monday, any violation may lead to fines. Cram schools, study rooms and study cafes are available to those without a valid pass as the court has suspended the effectiveness of the vaccine pass system at such facilities.


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