S. Korea to Fully Lift Mask Mandate Next Month

South Korea will downgrade the COVID-19 infection classification to Level 4, which is the lowest level of health alert, from the current Level 2, in the coming month, government officials reported on Sunday.

Additionally, the government will completely lift the mandatory face mask-wearing requirement, the only remaining restriction in place across the nation.

According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency explained that South Korea is expected to reclassify COVID-19 as an endemic disease, similar to influenza, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, next month.

Currently, COVID-19 belongs to Level 2 infectious diseases, alongside tuberculosis, measles, cholera, hepatitis A, and leprosy.

In early June, the South Korean government almost entirely lifted COVID-19-related restrictions, reducing the mandatory quarantine period to five days based on recommendations, down from the previous seven days.

However, mask-wearing requirements continued to be enforced in public hospitals and other high-risk locations, such as hospitals where patients reside.