Sharjah24 – Reuters: South Korea said on Friday it would lift stringent anti-coronavirus curbs on social gatherings next week, as the country prepares to switch to a 'living with COVID-19' strategy amid rising vaccination levels.
A new panel established this week is drawing up a plan for a gradual return to normalcy in the long term, eventually lifting sweeping restrictions and reopening the economy in November on the expectation that 80% of the adult population will be fully vaccinated.
From Monday, the government will allow gatherings of up to four unvaccinated people, and ease operating-hour restrictions imposed on venues like restaurants, cafes and cinemas, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told a COVID-19 response meeting.
In the Seoul area, gatherings of up to eight people will be allowed if a group includes four fully vaccinated people, and in other regions, up to 10 people will be allowed to gather.
South Korea never imposed a full lockdown, but has been under its tightest possible social distancing curbs, including a cap on gatherings of more than two people after 6 p.m. since July when the fourth wave of infections started.
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