S. Korea returns largely to normal, says ‘outbreak controlled’
South Korea returned largely to normal Wednesday as workers went back to offices, and museums and libraries reopened under eased social distancing rules, AFP said.
The country endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside China and while it never imposed a compulsory lockdown, strict social distancing had been widely observed since March.
The South appears to have brought its outbreak under control thanks to an extensive “trace, test and treat” program. In a population of 51 million, the death toll is little more than 250. New cases have slowed to 13 in the past three days, all of them arriving international passengers. More than 90 of the South’s imported cases are returning citizens.
Schools are to reopen in stages starting from May 13. Under what PM Chung Sye-kyun referred to as “everyday life quarantine,” South Koreans are still encouraged to wear face masks, among other recommendations.
