'서울 절체절명 위기...오늘부터 밤 9시 이후 멈춤 기간'
To curb that spike in the Seoul metropolitan area, the City of Seoul announced a virtual shutdown after 9 pm.
That includes cutting down on public transport services.
Our Bae Eun-ji has the details.
Seoul City Government has decided to shut down most facilities in the city after 9 PM... for a period of two weeks starting Saturday.
"Seoul city will turn off all the lights after 9PM,... when most economic and social activates come to an end."
The original Level Two social distancing measures required coffee shops, indoor sports facilities, and gyms to close at 9 PM.
From Saturday,... large stores, PC rooms, study cafes, amusement parks, and department stores will have to be closed after 9 PM as well.
But to allow citizens to buy necessities,... small stores under 300-square meters will be open, and delivery services and take-out available in restaurants.
A total of 25-thousand study rooms, study cafes, and private educational institutes, called "Hakwons" will all be closed from 9 PM.
A total of 66 public facilities operated by the city including libraries, museums, art galleries, and performance halls will also be closed regardless of the time of day.
And over one-thousand public sports facilities will be closed too.
In addition, 30-percent of public transport services will be cut from 9 PM.
Fewer buses will run from Saturday night, while subways will operate on a reduced timetable starting next Tuesday.
The city is also considering a move which would prevent subways from running after 11PM, one hour earlier than the current timetable.
Also, all classes in middle and high schools in Seoul will be carried out online for the next two weeks.
As for kindergartens and elementary schools, they will still be able to open but only at around 30% capacity for in-person learning.
Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News.
