Starting Wednesday, all international arrivals will not have to isolate themselves for a week whether they received Covid-19 vaccines or not and whether they are Koreans or foreigners.
According to officials at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, the lifting of mandatory seven-day self-quarantine for all overseas entrants is part of the government’s move to return to pre-pandemic normalcy amid a downtrend in Covid-19 cases.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said that Korea added 13,358 Covid-19 cases, including 59 from overseas, bringing the total to 18,188,200.
The daily caseload had stayed below 10,000 from Sunday through Tuesday on fewer tests over the weekend and the Memorial Day holiday that fell on Monday. However, Wednesday's figure is still about 20 percent fewer than that logged a week earlier amid the continued downward trend after reaching the peak of more than 621,000 on March 17.
The country added six Covid-19 deaths, the lowest number in about eight months. The death toll reached 24,305, and the fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent.
The number of critically ill patients came to 114, down from 117 the previous day.
As of Wednesday, 44.6 million, or 86.9 percent of the population, had completed the full two-dose vaccinations, and 33.32 million, representing 64.9 percent, had received their first booster shots. More than 4.19 million people, or 8.2 percent of the population, had gotten their second booster shots, the KDCA said.
The decline in the virus curve has boosted the government’s efforts to restore everyday life.
Despite the lifting of mandatory self-isolation, international arrivals still have to take a PCR virus test within three days of their entry into Korea. They must also submit a negative Covid-19 result -- by taking either a PCR or a supervised rapid antigen test -- before boarding flights to Korea.
The government increased the number of weekly flights on international routes to 732 in June from 532 in May, trying to normalize the operation of Incheon International Airport amid growing air travel demand.
"Experts warn against another virus wave in summer. Some risks could cause an upturn in infections, such as festivals, vacations, and increased air conditioners,” said Vice Health and Welfare Minister Lee Gi-il. “We can ill afford to let down our guard,"
As part of an effort to better protect high-risk groups, the government is pushing to approve AstraZeneca's antibody treatment Evusheld for emergency use this month.
“We have allocated 39.6 billion won ($31.5 million) from the second extra budget to bring in 20,000 doses of Evusheld,” an official said.