Entrance to the bathhouse▶ Click here for a larger view
Recently, the government decided to conduct a full-scale examination for all bathing workers nationwide after the outbreak of new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) through public baths such as Jinju sauna in Gyeongsangnam-do.
At a regular briefing on the 21st, Sohn Young-rae, head of the Central Accident Control Headquarters, said, “From the 22nd of this month, we will carry out a corona 19 test for all employees, including three gentlemen, barbers, store operators, and management clerks working in baths nationwide.”
“In order to prevent congestion in the bathhouse business, we will limit the number of admission to one person per 8㎡ of reported area, and we will also stop issuing a new’moon bath’ that uses bathhouses for a monthly fee.”
“From October to March 15 of last year, more than 1,200 corona19 patients occurred in 43 baths nationwide,” explained the background of strengthening quarantine for the bathhouse industry.
He said, “In the bathhouse businesses where group infection occurred, local residents registered as regular members and visited the bathhouse frequently and stayed for a long time,” he said. “(The bathhouse industry) is generally poorly ventilated and it is difficult to wear a mask. The use of or eating is also considered to be a risk factor,” he said.
Subsequent group infections from the Geoje bathhouse▶ Click here for a larger view
Accordingly, it is mandatory to create an electronic access list and check heat when entering the bathhouse in the future. If the user shows symptoms of fever, cold, body aches, or chills, the use of the bath is prohibited.
The use of common items and containers in the bath is also prohibited. Existing measures to ban food intake will also be maintained.
Bathhouse users and workers cannot communicate in the bathhouse as well as in the changing room, and the time to use the bathhouse is recommended within 1 hour.
It is a policy to settle the rules on the time of use of the bathhouse as an autonomous culture rather than enforce it.
Regarding the related inquiries, Mr. Son said, “It is not easy to comply with this regulation for customers in the beauty and beauty industry, and it is not easy to comply with this regulation, so we will apply it flexibly.” Said.
On the information board, the manager of the bathhouse business operation facility should explain the rules that users must follow, such as ▲ use within 1 hour ▲ prohibition of entry in case of fever or chills ▲ usage by area.
In areas where a large number of confirmed cases have occurred, regular inspections of the bathhouse business are conducted on a biweekly basis.
In this regard, an official of the Jungsu-bon explained that “Jinju City and Geoje City are subject to (regular inspections for workers) until now,” and “There is a possibility that it will be expanded a little further depending on the quarantine situation.”
Mr. Son also said, “The local government rather than the central government will determine (regular inspections for workers), considering the local situation,” but “If the local government determines that there is a possibility of serial infection through other bathing establishments, the inspection will be repeated every other week It is recommended to do it,” he said.
The government saw that the quarantine measures in Jinju City, Gyeongnam, where waterproof masks were to be worn in public baths, were not desirable.
“There is a controversy about wearing a waterproof mask or face shield in the bathroom,” said Son. “Because it is not possible to completely prevent the splashing of saliva like a mask, the effect of blocking saliva is inferior to that of a mask. There is a psychological vulnerability that can be induced more,” he said.
He emphasized that “in the bath, whether you are wearing a waterproof mask, face shield, or without a mask, it is the most desirable way to recognize the limitation that you cannot fundamentally block the discharge of saliva, and minimize conversations as much as possible.”
Meanwhile, the government has conducted special quarantine inspections at 135 public sanitation establishments, including 53 bathing facilities, jointly with local governments.
Each local government conducted an emergency on-site inspection on 3,486 bathing facilities nationwide on the 10th to 23rd of last month, and as a result, administrative dispositions were carried out, including 6 fines, 300 on-site corrections, and 310 recommendations for improvement.
In addition, the government plans to inspect a total of 100 locations, including 40 locations in the metropolitan area and 60 locations in the non-metropolitan area, through special site inspections for the bathhouse business by the 26th of this month.
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