JUNE | AGENDA
Industry views
Korean venues open, with contact tracing instead of distancing
South Korea’s Deputy Health
compared with a peak of 909 on 29
Minister has said that there are no February.
plans to reinstate social distancing Users that have been in contact
measures in South Korea, despite a with someone who tested positive
small rise in infections attributed to for coronavirus will receive a
venues in Seoul.
notification on their phone, advising
In mid-May, a clubgoer
them they should return home and
tested positive for Covid-19
self-isolate.
after they visited five different
The app makes use of
night-time establishments in the information on credit and debit
neighbourhood of Itaewon in one card transactions, phone location
evening. Health officials were
logs and footage from surveillance
placed on high alert, and so far there cameras to determine where
have been 76 confirmed patients those who tested positive have
who also visited clubs in Itaewon, visited. However, it reportedly only
as well as 43 who were infected via stores data on the gender and age
secondary transmission.
category of each infected person,
Whilst this caused some
for health reasons.
nightclubs and bars in Seoul to
This has been effective in
be temporarily re-closed, the
combination with large numbers
government continued to ease of tests. South Korean cities,
restrictions and reopened offices, including the capital Seoul, have set
public facilities and sports centres. up mobile testing centres. These
Vice Health Minister for South sealed, sterile tents allow those
Korea, Kim Gang-lip, said: “For now, who receive notifications to receive
we will monitor how the current coronavirus tests.
transmissions go and review [at
Jerome Kim, the director general
a later date] whether we should of the International Vaccine
reconsider our distancing policy.” Institute in Seoul, said South
South Korea began to reintroduce Korea had contained the virus
live entertainment in March,
through “decisive and transparent
following the peak in infections from leadership based on data, not
January-February. The country has emotion.”
been successful in controlling the As we go to press, the UK is
coronavirus using a robust ‘test and currently running a contact tracing
trace’ programme. As of April, South app trial on the Isle of Wight. A
Korea was registering new daily reported 60,000 people have
cases of Covid-19 in single figures, downloaded the app.
Steve Davis
Tom Clements
Rishi Sunak
“We’re donating the
festival site to give NHS
workers a big day out
and say a massive thank
you to the key workers.”
– Steve Davis,
Managing Director of
Newcastle’s This is
Tomorrow, announces a
free festival for the NHS
in 2021
“It’s frustrating to have so
little information at this
stage, especially around
timings which is what every
business is after to prepare.”
– NOEA President Tom
Clements, after the
association outlined a ‘risk
roadmap’ which aims to help
outdoor event businesses
reopen safely
“By October, we will have
provided eight months of
support to British people
and businesses. Until the
end of July, there will be no
changes to the furlough
scheme whatsoever.”
– Chancellor Rishi Sunak
announces an extension of
furlough until October, likely
to be reduced to 60% in July
07