S Korea ends nearly all Covid-19 restrictions

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday declared an end to almost all Covid-19 restrictions, including mandatory isolation, effectively placing the disease in the endemic category.

Yoon said during a Covid-19 response meeting that the seven-day mandatory isolation period for Covid-19 patients will be reduced to a recommendation of five days, reported Yonhap news agency.

He also said the indoor mask mandate will be lifted everywhere except for hospitals with rooms for hospitalisation, and the PCR test-upon-arrival recommendation will be removed.

The new measures will take effect June 1 when the national crisis level for Covid-19 will be lowered from "serious" to "alert."

The announcement came days after the World Health Organisation declared an end to Covid-19 as a "global health emergency." - BERNAMA-YONHAP