S.KOREA EASES COVID-19 GUIDELINES

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Korea added some 5,000 new COVID-19 cases as of midnight monday, the lowest in 139 days. The government has revised its at-home treatment guidelines to expand in-person services at hospitals and clinics. Starting Wednesday, a seven-day quarantine mandate will be lifted for unvaccinated overseas arrivals.

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South Korea reported 5,022 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. It's the lowest tally in since January 18, before Omicron became a dominant variant. The decrease may be due to fewer tests over the Memorial Day holiday and a general slowdown of infections. 129 seriously ill patients were reported on Monday, hovering above the 100 mark for ten straight days. Twenty one more deaths were reported and the fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent. With major indicators pointing to a slowdown in infections, the nation’s medical sector is moving fast to return to pre-pandemic life. From Monday, health authorities reduced their over-the-phone checks on high-risk groups, such as the elderly and immunocompromised, from twice a day to once a day.

[Soundbite] Sohn Young-rae(Central Disasters Management HQs) : "Non-contact services will be reduced in order to let medical workers treat patients normally and in-person. So we have revised the whole at-home treatment system."

Medical fees for doctors giving over-the-phone consultations or prescriptions to children younger than 11 are now covered by the state health insurance just once a day, down from the previous two. Quarantine rules for overseas arrivals will also be eased further. Starting Wednesday, the seven-day isolation mandate for unvaccinated travelers to Korea will be lifted. In order to block new variants coming into the country, inbound travelers will still need to take PCR or rapid antigen tests conducted by medical professionals before leaving for South Korea. They will also have to take a PCR test within three days of their arrival.