A visitor shows his vaccine pass to use a fitness center in Seoul on Nov. 1, 2021, as the country adopted the phased social distancing “With COVID-19″ scheme starting the same day. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — With the government extending the coverage of its “vaccine pass” scheme along with what is expected to be a gradual return to normal life, disputes are flaring up over the legitimacy of the policy.
Some have expressed opposition to the policy, saying that it represents a form of discrimination against non-vaccinated people, while others say it’s nothing but a reasonable move to limit the spread of the disease.
On a job search portal for part-time work, there are many job postings with special conditions, including ‘COVID-19 vaccination is a must,’ ‘Only vaccinated people can apply,’ and ‘Vaccinated applicants are preferred.’
Recently, one post in a job-related online community claiming “I was supposed to be hired by a company but the offer was rescinded since I am not vaccinated” stirred up controversy.
Even on university campuses, where in-person classes are expanding along with the easing of social distancing rules, students are presenting mixed opinions about the vaccine pass.
“Excluding those who cannot be vaccinated due to underlying diseases, other unvaccinated people are trying to free ride on the efforts of others to limit the spread of the disease.” said a 25-year-old college student who gave only his surname Lee.
Soongsil University requires its students to submit a COVID-19 vaccine second dose certificate or negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test certificate if they want to attend face-to-face classes.
Even students who hesitated to get vaccinated are considering vaccination due to disadvantages for unvaccinated people.
On Konkuk University’s anonymous online community, a student complained, saying, “Disadvantages for unvaccinated people are increasingly becoming apparent. I became subject to active surveillance since I attended the class with a COVID positive student.”
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
