South Korea easing pandemic restrictions

South Korea eased a handful of COVID-19 restrictions on Monday, with more than 75 percent of the country’s population fully vaccinated against the virus.

Restaurants and cafes can now remove their curfews, outdoor sporting events are permitted to invite spectators at 50 percent capacity and companies no longer have to require that 30 percent of employees work from home, according to Reuters.

Additionally, up to 100 people, regardless of their vaccination status, are now allowed to be in the audience of musicals or concerts, and gyms can lift their limits on treadmill speeds, eliminate bans on playing music with fast tempos during exercise classes and open their showers, Reuters reported.

Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol, however, is still urging South Koreans to wear masks, ventilate rooms on a regular basis and get tested for the virus if they start experiencing symptoms, according to Reuters.

Bars, night clubs, indoor gyms, saunas, karaoke bars and other high-risk facilities will also require visitors to present proof of vaccination or a negative result from a COVID-19 test that was administered within 48 hours of the visit, according to the news service.

The scaled-back restrictions come as South Korea crossed the 75 percent threshold for the population that is fully vaccinated. More than 77.9 million COVID-19 doses have been administered in the country, which is equivalent to roughly 75.4 percent of the population being fully vaccinated, according to data collected by Reuters.

The relaxed restrictions are set to last for one month, with the intention of lifting all rules by February, according to Reuters.

Son Young-rae, a spokesman for the Health Ministry, reportedly warned that the country’s medical system is only built to manage up to 5,000 daily new COVID-19 cases, so if numbers begin to rise above that threshold the government will have to impose stricter measures.