SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea will drop a face mask mandate for many indoor public places later this month, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Friday, though coverings will still be required on transport and in medical facilities.
The lifting of the face-covering rules will take effect on Jan. 30, Han said, within the country’s latest step to ease COVID-19 rules as recent cases show signs of a slowdown.
“The each day number of recent infections is constant to say no and despite concerns over a spike in cases in China, the situation here is under control without major troubles,” the prime minister said during a COVID response meeting.
South Korea has ordered COVID tests for travellers arriving from China after Beijing abandoned a strict anti-virus regime of mass lockdowns in an abrupt policy U-turn.
Friday’s announcement comes exactly three years after South Korea reported its first outbreak of COVID infection on Jan. 20, 2020 and because it is about to mark the Lunar Recent Yr holidays during which many South Koreans return to their home towns.
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The easing of mask rules coupled with the upcoming holidays could end in a brief surge in recent cases, Han warned, urging health authorities to remain vigilant especially for those more vulnerable to infection.
South Korea has scrapped most of its pandemic-related precautions, however it maintains a seven-day isolation rule for those testing positive for COVID.
(This story has been refiled to correct transposed word in paragraph 1.)
(Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
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