South Korea to Ease Virus Curbs as More People Get Vaccinated

Elderly residents wait to receive a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine outside a vaccination site at the Guro Arts Valley Theater in the Guro district of Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. South Korea is planning to use Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson from this month, in addition to the current supplies from Pfizer Inc. and Astrazeneca Plc. , Bloomberg

Sam Kim, Bloomberg News

Jun 20, 2021

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(Bloomberg) --

South Korea will relax its social-distancing rules starting next month as coronavirus cases slow amid rising vaccinations.

The country will increase the maximum number of people who can gather privately from July 1, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Sunday in a televised briefing. Under revised rules, shops will be able to stay open for longer, depending on daily caseloads, he said.

The number of daily infections has declined in recent weeks in South Korea while vaccinations are picking up. More than 15 million people -- about 30% of the population -- have received at least one shot and the government is confident that herd immunity may be achieved earlier than initially expected.

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