Osan City Restricts Public Gatherings to Prevent COVID-19

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Osan City announced on the 23rd that it has temporarily banned gatherings at major public places within the city until the national crisis response level for COVID-19 is downgraded from "critical."

The designated gathering-restricted areas include City Hall intersection, Lotte Mart intersection, in front of E-Mart, Home Plus intersection, Jungwon intersection, Namchon-o intersection, Health Center intersection, the main and rear entrances of Osan City Hall, Osan Station, Osandae Station, Sema Station, and areas surrounding schools and crowded facilities.

This measure is based on Article 49, Section 1, Clause 2 of the "Infectious Disease Prevention and Management Act," which allows local government leaders to restrict or ban gatherings for disease prevention purposes. Violations are subject to fines of up to 3 million won according to Article 80, Penalty Clause 7 of the same law.

A city official stated, "Taking into account the situation in which citizens' concerns and anxiety are growing as cluster infections of COVID-19 have occurred in the Seoul metropolitan area and confirmed cases are increasing in adjacent municipalities, we have implemented preemptive measures" and added, "We request your active cooperation and understanding for measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 infection and protecting the health and safety of our citizens."