South Korea relaxes business hour restrictions on restaurants, cafes

The government plans to revamp restrictions further if the situation remains stable.

South Korea has relaxed the business hour curfew on restaurants and cafes to midnight, Yonhap reported, quoting Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum.

The government has also decided to revise the country’s social distancing rules, with the private gathering size limit raised to 10 people starting 4 April for two weeks.

Should the situation remain stable during the period, Kim said the government will "boldly revamp" the social distancing rules, which would raise the possibility of the complete removal of all such restrictions in the country.

"We will boldly revamp the remaining social distancing rules and other antivirus measures next time if our medical system can be stably managed whilst we reduce serious cases and deaths in the next two weeks," Kim said.

The decision to further relax antivirus curbs came as the country began to see a downward trend in new infections after the number of daily COVID-19 cases soared to as high as 621,197 on March 17 amid the omicron-fueled wave.

The transition team of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol also said last week it will seek to scrap the curfew on business hours once the spread of COVID-19 passes its peak.