South Korea’s new coronavirus cases fell below 50,000 on Saturday as the omicron curve has turned downward and the country is set to lift the outdoor mask mandate.

The country reported 43,286 new COVID-19 infections, including 12 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,237,878, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The number of new virus cases marks a sharp drop from 50,568 reported the previous day.

There were 70 more COVID-19 deaths, with the death toll rising to 22,794.

The number of critically ill patients stood at 490, down 36 from the previous day.

South Korea’s COVID-19 cases have been decreasing after peaking in mid-March at over 600,000. The daily tally dropped to the 30,000s on Monday for

the first time in 76 days.

As of 9 p.m., the country had added 34,544 new COVID-19 cases, down 7,820 from the same time the previous day, according to health authorities and city governments.

Daily cases are counted until midnight and announced the following morning.

Starting Monday, South Korea will lift its outdoor mask mandate amid concerns from the incoming administration over what it calls a “premature” decision.

Under the new rules, people will still be required to wear masks when they attend gatherings of 50 or more participants or use multiuse facilities.

The government on Saturday also temporarily lifted restrictions at nursing homes and senior care hospitals, allowing families to have physical contact during their visits. The new guideline will be in place for three weeks until May 22.

Previously, in-person visits without any barriers were strictly prohibited to protect the elderly from the virus.

Amid the waning pandemic, health authorities downgraded COVID-19 to the second-highest level of the four-tier infectious disease control system earlier this week.

Eating and drinking on public transit and in theaters, religious facilities and indoor stadiums are allowed under the eased rules.

Of the locally transmitted infections, Seoul reported 6,455 cases and its surrounding Gyeonggi Province added 10,342 cases.

As of midnight Friday, 45.03 million, or 87.7 percent of the 52 million population, had been fully vaccinated, and 33.12 million, or 64.5 percent, had received their first COVID-19 booster shots, the KDCA said.

A total of 2.04 million people, or 4 percent of the population, have received second booster shots across the country.

Source: Yonhap News Agency