INFECTIOUS DISEASE LEVEL LOWERED

[Anchor Lead]

Daily COVID-19 cases registered 34,370. on Monday, dipping below 40,000 for the first time since February 7. Starting Monday, the infectious disease level of COVID-19 will be downgraded from the highest Class One to Class Two, kicking off a full-fledged return to normality.

[Pkg]

A senior community center is bustling for the first time in a long while. It's finally opening after being shut due to the pandemic. The place is thoroughly cleaned and appliances such as TV and air conditioners are also being checked. Utensils that have been gathering dust are also getting washed amid preparations to receive the elders again.

[Soundbite] Lee Byung-moon(Chair, Cheongun Seniors Association) : "Seniors gather here to sing, watch TV, chat and exercise. This was not allowed for 2 years so expectations are running high."

Starting Monday, senior welfare and leisure centers have also reopened. Senior citizens can also eat together as long as they are seated apart or have partitions. However only those who received a third vaccine shot can use the centers. Activities such as exercise and singing that involve discharging saliva droplets are still restricted. Also starting Monday, the infectious disease level of COVID-19 is downgraded from the highest Class One, applied to Ebola and MERS, to Class Two, the same level as measles and chickenpox. But the seven-day mandatory quarantine for infected patients will remain during a one month preparation period.

[Soundbite] Park Hyang(Central Disasters Management HQs(Apr. 22)) : "The caseload is still high so the isolation period will be kept. The gov’t is making preparations to transition to an ordinary medical response system."

Also from Monday food consumption is allowed at movie theaters and indoor sport facilities. Spectators can enjoy their popcorn at cinemas and chicken and beer at ball games. Eating is also allowed inside express buses and bullet trains while the sampling of food at designated areas resumes at large supermarket chains and department stores. As returning to normal life picks up speed, the importance of basic quarantine rules has become more important. Also from Monday, fourth vaccine shots are rolled out to people 60 and older.