South Korean to raise gathering limit to 10 for capital area

Seoul, Oct 29 (IANS) The South Korean government said on Friday it will raise the private gathering limit to 10 people for the greater Seoul area and scrap business curfews on all multi-use facilities, except nightlife establishments, for four weeks starting under a "living with Covid-19" scheme.

A "vaccine pass" system, which requires visitors to have a vaccination certificate or negative test result, will be also introduced with a grace period for entry into nightlife establishments, such as bars and nightclubs, and indoor sports facilities, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced the measures at a Covid-19 response meeting which discussed a final draft roadmap suggested by a government-private committee that aims to gradually bring people's lives back to normal.

The committee, which includes 30 experts from the private sector, earlier this week unveiled a draft roadmap for the country to gradually phase out coronavirus restrictions to help small business owners suffering from the pandemic and create sustainable virus measures as the nation's vaccination rate reached the initial target of 70 per cent.

The first phase of the scheme will be enforced from November 1 for four weeks.