SEOUL (Reuters). – South Korea’s clock struck 9 p.m. on Wednesday. Customers packed up and left South Korea, as a reimposed curfew to curb a spike in coronavirus cases sparks concerns of an economic downturn for businesses.

Authorities announced last week a number of social distancing steps that will be in place until January 2. These measures include restricting gatherings to four persons and requiring restaurants, cafés, and bars close at 9 pm (1200 GMT).

Six weeks ago, South Korea had eased restrictions in order to allow them to live with COVID-19. Daily cases of serious infections and deaths have increased to record levels, putting strain on the nation’s healthcare system.

On Monday night, Korean grill restaurant customers in Seoul scrambled to put on jackets and masks before curfew. Many expressed dismay at the imposition of these restrictions ahead of holidays.

Kim Min-song (39 years old) said, “It’s the year’s end when we meet people that we haven’t been missing.”

Lee Mingyu is the owner of a barbecue restaurant. He said that after restrictions were lifted, he had more employees and made a lot of preparations in anticipation of a busier end of the year.

“Now with the sudden shift, all of the ingredients are not attended to, and there is too much work,” he stated.

According to the government, it will pay small-business owners 1,000,000 won (839 each).

Lee stated that the compensation plan will not suffice, noting that it is lower than one employee who works part-time.

A series of statements were issued by associations of restaurant and small-business owners protesting this decision. They also demanded compensation for their losses. One association has promised to hold a protest this week.

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, KDCA, reported 52 deaths and 5,202 infected people by Monday midnight. That’s a total 575,615 deaths and 4,828 cases since the start of the pandemic. The number of serious cases was close to 1,022, an all-time record.

Customer Pyeon Gijang stated that the new rules were “a bit disappointing”. There will be further damage if the government doesn’t adopt the policy as COVID-19 spreads rapidly.

($1 = 1,192.2800 won)