People, some wearing masks and others not, walk around a neighborhood in Jung District in central Seoul. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han

Outdoor mask mandate to be lifted Monday

By Lee Hae-rin

The government is expected to speed up the pace of its COVID-19 exit strategy after its decision to lift all outdoor mask mandates starting Monday.

The next steps are likely to range from ending the post-arrival PCR test to resuming face-to-face visits at nursing hospitals, and it is considering a step-by-step easing of the seven-day quarantine for infected patients.

Until Sunday, those at outdoor gatherings of 50 or more people, such as sporting events, had to wear masks, but it is no longer required, according to the government.

"We are clearly overcoming the hurdle of the recent resurgence of the coronavirus," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said during a government meeting at the Government Complex in Sejong, Friday. The government plans to map out a new set of low-risk quarantine measures to solve the public's inconveniences based on feedback from experts, the prime minister said.