NEW SELF-QUARANTINE MEASURES

[Anchor Lead]

Those fully vaccinated will be exempted from self-quarantine even if they have returned from an overseas trip or come into close contact with COVID-19 patients. This measure will take effect starting early next month. The government will add 50 inoculation centers to speed up vaccinations.

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A total of some 148,000 people have completed the two rounds of COVID-19 vaccinations in the country. Assuming that antibodies are formed in two weeks following the second shot, the government will ease self-quarantine rules for fully-vaccinated people starting May 5. Those who have completed the two-dose regimen in South Korea will be exempted from self-quarantine even if they come into close contact with COVID-19 patients or return from an overseas trip. However, they will still be placed under active surveillance. There are exceptions. Those returning from countries plagued by COVID-19 variants, such as South Africa and Brazil, will not be eligible for this self-quarantine exemption.

[Soundbite] Yoon Tae-ho(Central Disaster Management HQs) : "Those who have completed vaccinations at home will be exempted from self-quarantine if they test negative for the virus and show no symptoms. Instead, they will be placed under 14-day active surveillance, required to take two more COVID-19 tests."

The government made it clear that those completing vaccinations overseas are still subject to self-quarantine upon arriving in South Korea. It added overseas vaccinations will be gradually acknowledged later through mutual agreements, based on the principle of reciprocity. Naval crew members disembark from an Aegis-class vessel to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.

[Soundbite] "It feels stiff."

A total of 126,000 soldiers and civilian military employees aged 30 or above are eligible for COVID-19 inoculations. More than 80 percent of them have agreed to receive the vaccine.

[Soundbite] Ahn Eun-kyung(Army Lieut. Colonel) : "We are working to transport and store vaccines safely while thoroughly managing possible vaccine side effects  We plan to complete the first-round of vaccinations by early May without fail."

The first-round of inoculation for essential workers, including soldiers, police officers and firefighters, will be completed by early May. And then, vaccinations for those aged between 65 and 74 will begin in late May. With COVID-19 vaccinations gaining speed, 50 more inoculation centers have newly opened. As a result, the nation's single-day vaccination capacity will increase from 170,000 people to 210,000.