ⓒYONHAP News

The government has decided to lift all social distancing measures from next week after more than two years.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announced the decision on Friday in opening remarks at a government meeting on COVID-19 responses in Seoul.

The prime minister said that starting Monday, the government will remove all limits on private gatherings and business hours.

Currently, businesses are allowed to open until midnight, and private gatherings are capped at ten people.

The full removal of these restrictions comes 25 months after the nation introduced the social distancing scheme in March 2020.

Kim said that all limits on events, demonstrations and religious facilities will also be lifted.

From April 25, the government will remove the ban on food consumption at multi-use indoor facilities, including movie theaters, sport facilities and religious facilities.

Mandatory mask-wearing, however, will remain in effect. The government will consider lifting the outdoor requirement in two weeks after monitoring the virus situation.

The government also decided to downgrade the infectious disease level of COVID-19 from a Class One to Class Two disease from April 25.

The announcement came a day after the government began providing second booster shots to people aged 60 or older.

The COVID-19 vaccine response team announced the fourth vaccine for the age group on Wednesday as part of its effort to prevent additional virus-related critical cases and deaths.

Those eligible can get their fourth dose 120 days after their third shot, which will be administered with mRNA vaccines as a standard, such as Pfizer or Moderna. If desired, the protein subunit vaccine Novavax can also be requested.

The decision was made as the effectiveness of the first booster shot has been waning over time, and COVID-19 infections for those over the age of 60 accounted for more than 20 percent of the total in the first week of April.