Korea lifts nearly all remaining Covid-19 restrictions

Social Affairs

Published: 31 May. 2023, 18:24

Korea lifts nearly all remaining Covid-19 restrictions

A medical worker stands at a temporary screening test center in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Wednesday, a day ahead of the permanent closing of the test center as the country downgrades its national risk level for Covid-19 from ″serious″ to ″alert″ starting Thursday. [YONAHP]

Korea will lift nearly all its Covid-19 restrictions starting Thursday as the country lowers its national risk level from “serious” to “alert” starting June.

This marks the relaxation of nearly all Covid-19 restrictions after three years and four months.

Some of the country’s last remaining restrictions regarding the virus included indoor mask mandates at clinics and pharmacies and mandatory seven-day quarantines for individuals who test positive.

With the downgraded level, people who test positive for the virus will be recommended — but not mandated — to stay home for a five-day period except for when they would need to visit a hospital or pharmacy.

Hospitalized patients who test positive will also be recommended to isolate for at least seven days and up to 20 days, depending on the doctor’s decision.

Indoor mask mandates will be lifted in almost all places excluding hospitals with vulnerable inpatients and residential medical facilities with groups vulnerable to infectious diseases.

As quarantines are no longer compulsory, different ministries, including the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Personnel Management, recommend people make full use of their leaves and adjust to working from home during the five-day period.

“The government will introduce measures and practices to allow people to rest when they are sick to ensure flexible isolation,” Second Health Minister Park Min-soo was quoted as saying during the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters’ meeting on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s meeting marked the headquarters’ last meeting on the Covid-19 pandemic as the "control tower" of quarantine efforts.

The agency will be demoted to the Central Disaster Management Headquarters, led by the Minister of Health and Welfare, starting Thursday. It is currently led by the prime minister.

The Education Ministry recommends all elementary, middle and high school students rest for five days if they test positive, marking them as present during this period.

The government will maintain its support for paid leaves and living expenses for people who isolate themselves after testing positive for the virus.

Financial support for patients hospitalized and treated for Covid-19 at the hospital will be maintained, too.

The current daily reports of Covid-19 cases will be maintained until the Covid-19 infectious disease classification gets downgraded from the current Class 2 to the lowest Class 4.

Once downgraded, the monitoring and reporting system will be done on a weekly basis.

The Class 2 classification has been maintained since it was leveled down from the highest Class 1 on April 25, 2022.

Arrivals to Korea will no longer be recommended to take a PCR test three days after entering the country.

Covid-19 screening clinics that offer PCR tests for high-risk groups will continue to remain in operation, but all seven temporary screening test centers in the country will close.

People will continue to be offered free Covid-19 vaccinations.

Despite relaxing restrictions, authorities stressed that people should still be cautious of the virus.

“The 'serious' level [of the disease] will be relaxed starting tomorrow but the threat of Covid-19 is still there,” Park said, adding that the government will continuously manage the disease.

On Wednesday, Korea reported 24,411 new Covid-19 infections, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), up around 1,500 from the same day the previous week.

Over the three-year period of the pandemic, some 34,783 died from the coronavirus in Korea.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]