Seoul, April 25 South Korea has unveiled a set of guidelines to better implement an "everyday life quarantine" amid a slowdown in new coronavirus cases.
The latest guidelines unveiled on Friday are detailed virus prevention instructions introduced by the government earlier this week that communities and individuals should follow when the country initiates the "everyday life quarantine", a scheme allowing people to engage in a certain level of economic and social activities while maintaining distance, reports Yonhap News Agency.
Health authorities said 12 government Ministries have prepared prevention hygiene guidelines on 31 areas, covering almost every situation that people would face in their daily lives.
The guidelines call for people to stay home when they show symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, or have gone overseas in the past two weeks.
Regardless of place, people are advised to keep a distance of 2 metres when they meet others and follow basic personal hygiene routines, such as washing hands.
At work, people were urged to minimize face-to-face occasions and focus on their disinfection routine.
For store owners or small business operators, the government asked them to limit mass-gathering events. Those who plan to attend religious activities are advised to wear face masks.
The government said these guidelines do not have legal power, as they are "recommendations", but for some core instructions, it is considering imposing penalties on violators.
Health officials said they decided to unveil the guidelines before the country makes its transition to the "everyday life quarantine" because such a system requires earning a social consensus, Yonhap News Agency reported.
"These guidelines were created with a purpose of balancing people's daily lives and quarantine activities and aim to begin with people's understanding and participation," Vice Health Minister Kim Ganglip said.
"The guidelines are also prepared with a mind that they can be upgraded with people's creative ideas."
South Korea reported 10 additional coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of patients to 10,718, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
The death toll remained at 240 for the third consecutive day, with no report of new fatalities for the past two days.
( With inputs from IANS )