S Korea ends nearly all Covid-19 restrictions

SEOUL: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday declared an end to almost all COVID-19 restrictions, including mandatory isolation.

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.

Yoon also said the indoor mask mandate will be lifted everywhere except for hospitals with rooms for hospitalisation, and the national crisis level for COVID-19 will be lowered from "serious" to "alert."

The measures came days after the World Health Organisation declared an end to the pandemic as a "global health emergency."

-- BERNAMA