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| A theater is closed after up to 22 people were infected by the coronavirus there, in Daehangno, Seoul's theatre district, Friday. Yonhap |
By Park Ji-won
As the government is set to tighten social distancing rules for the greater Seoul area to Level 4, the highest level, from Monday to July 25 for two weeks, theaters are also rearranging their show schedules and seating plans.
Under the Level 4 rules, private gatherings of more than four people will be banned before 6 p.m. while gatherings of more than two people will be prohibited after 6 p.m. As gatherings to watch theatrical performances or films in movie theaters are considered a private activity, seating will be adjusted under the new rule, affecting groups of more than four who bought tickets for adjacent seats at shows ending before 6 p.m. and for groups of more than two who bought tickets for adjacent seats for shows finishing after 6 p.m.
Depending on how theaters rearrange their seating plans, some ticket holders may need to buy new tickets to watch shows scheduled to be performed starting on Monday or get reassigned a new seat by theaters to break up groups.
Also, all theaters are allowed to operate only until 10 p.m. Therefore, many theaters are running shows earlier or getting rid of intermissions to reduce runtimes and fit performances in before the closing time.
For example, the LG Arts Center decided to move its performances of the play, "Coriolanus," forward an hour so that the show could finish before 10 p.m. The play has been running since July 4 at 7:30 p.m. with a 200-minute runtime, including intermission, while it had originally finished at 10:50 p.m.
The new rules have been implemented as the country continues to see a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections.
The country posted 1,324 more new COVID-19 cases as of Saturday, including 1,280 local infections, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). It was the third day in a row that the number of daily new COVID-19 cases exceeded 1,300. Theaters hadn't experienced any infection cases until recently, but a theater located in Daehangno saw infections in 22 people, including five customers, as of July 8, after a staff member was confirmed to be positive on June 29.
Meanwhile, large concerts, which resumed operations starting the middle of last month, will be allowed to be held in concert halls, but not in outdoor venues such as parks or sports stadiums.
During these large concerts, audiences will not be allowed to shout, stand or sing along. People who violate the rules will be asked to leave the event.
