GOV'T SET TO EASE INDOOR MASK RULE

[Anchor Lead]

The government decided to lift the mandatory indoor mask mandate, and make mask wearing a 'recommendation' in two phases. The first-stage lifting will be implemented when more than two out of four criteria which will be used in determining the COVID-19 situation are met.

[Pkg]

The government has decided to ease in phases the remaining indoor mask mandate in consideration of the pandemic situation. As for when this will happen, the first-stage will be implemented when two out of four criteria are met and following consultations with the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. The four criteria are stability in new cases, reduction in critical cases and deaths, stable medical response capabilities and immunity within high-risk groups. Regarding the caseload, the government-set reference point is a drop in weekly infections for two consecutive weeks. On the second criteria, the number of critically ill patients must decrease on-week while the weekly fatality rate remains below 0.1%. Hospital bed capacity for critical patients and the rate of winter booster shots among the elderly should both be above 50%. However even if the phase-one adjustment takes place, the mandate will remain for the time being at hospitals, pharmacies, select social welfare centers and for public transport to protect high-risk groups from getting infected.

[Soundbite] Han Duck-soo(Prime minister) : "When the mandate eases, that can temporarily spike infections. Health authorities and local gov'ts must keep up quarantine and medical response capabilities and make thorough preparations in advance."

The mandate will be completely lifted in a second stage adjustment which will happen when the COVID-19 risk level is downgraded from the current 'serious' level or when COVID-19's infectious disease grade is adjusted to 4 from the current 2. As for the latest daily virus tally, around 68,000 new infections were reported as of Friday midnight, the largest in 15 weeks. The number of critical cases remained in the 500s for the sixth day.