Jee Yong-mi, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), speaks during a press briefing in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Aug. 23. Yonhap



Korea will lower the infection level of COVID-19 to the lowest category to manage the disease like seasonal flu, lifting nearly all antivirus curbs and fully returning to pre-pandemic normalcy, health authorities said Wednesday.



The move came as the number of COVID-19 infections dropped for the first time in nearly two months last week.



The country reported a daily average of 40,400 new infections for the week of Aug. 15-21, down 17.7 percent from 49,000 a week earlier, snapping seven consecutive weeks of growth.



"The spread of COVID-19, which started in the fourth week of June, has recently slowed down and turned into a decline, and the overall quarantine situation has been stabilized," Jee Young-mee, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said in a government meeting.



"It's time to shift our focus from counting daily cases to protecting high-risk populations," she said. "The government will change the COVID-19 infection level from Class 2 to Class 4 and manage it within the general health care system."



The measure, aimed at implementing a full transition to a normal state for the medical system, will take effect on Aug. 31, she added.





Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, is crowded with travelers, Aug. 17. Yonhap