Starting Monday, the COVID-19 pass system will be expanded to department stores and large-scale retailers.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on Sunday, people will be required to present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result to enter those facilities.

Facilities subject to the system are discount or department stores and shopping malls measuring three-thousand square meters or more.

The government, however, plans to give a weeklong grace period before the full-fledged enforcement in order to minimize confusion at the affected facilities.

Violators will face fines and administrative measures from next Monday.

Such facilities had been excluded from the pass system but were added to a host of other multiuse facilities subject to the system when the government decided to extend the current tougher social distancing measures on December 31.