Korea set to return to normal life amid lingering resurgence concerns

Students of Wolchon Middle School in Seoul's Yangcheon District speak to each other while going to school together, Monday, as the Ministry of Education allowed more students to take part in in-person classes ahead of its plan to fully resume in-person classes from the fall semester. Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

Korea is getting ready to return to pre-COVID normal life with the health authorities having eased some of their antivirus measures, allowing more people to enjoy sports events and concerts, and more students to attend in-person classes.

The government's move to gradually ease its anti-coronavirus rules comes as the country's vaccination rate has been picking up speed, with over 25 percent of the entire population or 13 million people having had at least their first shot as of Tuesday.

Amid growing hope for a return to normal daily life, the health authorities have, however, called on residents to remain alert and keep actively participating in the country's vaccination program as COVID-19 infections could resurge at any time.

On June 11, the government said its current social distancing rules ― Level 2, the third-highest in its five-tier system, for the Seoul metropolitan area, and Level 1.5 for other parts of the country ― will be retained until July 4. The ban on gatherings of five or more people will also be kept.

The current distancing rules have been in place since mid-February.

But some regulations were eased. Beginning Monday, audiences of up to 30 percent of a venue's capacity were allowed at outdoor sports facilities such as baseball and soccer stadiums in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. Previously, up to 10 percent had been allowed.

Outside the Seoul metropolitan area, the capacity limit was increased to 50 percent from 30 percent.

Audiences watch a baseball game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Sunday, while maintaining a safe distance from one another. Beginning Monday, the government allowed audiences of up to 30 percent of a venue's capacity, up from the previous limit of 10 percent, at baseball stadiums and other outdoor sports facilities in the Seoul metropolitan area. Yonhap

For music concerts including K-pop performances, up to a 4,000-person audience is now allowed for both indoor and outdoor events, up from the previous limit of 99.

Middle school students in the Seoul metropolitan area have been allowed to take part in more in-person classes, after the Ministry of Education decided to increase the cap on attendance from one-third of registered students to two-thirds.

In-person attendance rates at middle schools in the capital area stood at 48.3 percent as of the end of last month, far lower than 80.9 percent in other parts of the country.

The ministry's decision to increase the portion of students attending in-person classes came ahead of its plan to fully resume them from the fall semester.

Some regional education offices have already allowed schools to fully resume the classes, including one in South Jeolla Province beginning last week.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said it is considering allowing restaurants, cafes and entertainment facilities in the Seoul metropolitan area to open until midnight starting next month. Currently, they must close at 10 p.m.

The health authorities are discussing new social distancing rules to be applied from next month, such as a gathering ban of nine or more people, up from the current five. Before the full introduction of the new rules, gradual steps may be adopted until the end of July in line with development of the situation, such as gathering ban of seven or more people.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum noted during a government meeting on COVID-19 responses Wednesday that the new guidelines will be announced Sunday, saying, “They will bring about big changes in people's daily life.”

“We expect the new guidelines and vaccination plan for the third quarter to create momentum for a step forward to the resumption of normal life,” he said.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum speaks during a government meeting on COVID-19 responses at the Government Complex Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), more than 13.21 million people, or 25.7 percent of the entire population, have had at least their first shots of a vaccine, while 6.8 percent have been fully vaccinated, as of Tuesday.

The country added 545 more COVID-19 cases, including 522 local infections, Tuesday, raising the cumulative number of cases to 149,191.

The figure was up from 373 identified Monday. The nation's daily new infections have been hovering around 300 to 700 in recent weeks amid continuous reports of infection clusters across the country.