Seoul, April 15 (BNA): South Korea will remove most of the pandemic’s restrictions, including limits on indoor gatherings, as it slowly falters from an omicron outbreak that officials say is stabilizing, the Associated Press reports.
People will still be required to wear masks indoors, but authorities can remove the authorization to use outdoor masks if the coronavirus slows further over the next two weeks, Health Minister Kwon Deok-chol said in a government briefing Friday.
Starting next week, authorities will remove a maximum of 10 people for private social gatherings and lift midnight curfews at restaurants, cafes and other indoor businesses.
People will be allowed to dine inside cinemas, religious facilities, bus stops and train stations from April 25.
The new measures were announced as the country reported 125,846 new cases of coronavirus, continuing a weeks-long downward trend after infections peaked in mid-March. The country’s one-day record was 621,187 on March 17.
While health workers have reported 264 virus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, more than half of the 2,800 COVID-19 intensive care units remain available.
The country had already relaxed quarantine restrictions and stopped requiring adults to show evidence of vaccination or negative tests when entering potentially crowded places such as restaurants so more public and health workers can respond to the rapid expansion of home treatments.
More than 900,000 virus patients have been asked to self-isolate at home to save hospital space.
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