As the U.S. and other countries begin to ease their masking regulations, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong says following in their footsteps hinges on progress in COVID-19 vaccinations and the quarantine situation in the country. 

Jeong said in a media briefing on Monday that around 10 percent of the U.S. population already has natural immunity from having been infected with COVID-19, while the first-shot vaccination rate in the U.S. is as high as 46 percent. 

She also pointed to U.S. experts who caution against easing mask requirements in haste.  

The KDCA chief said the domestic situation such as daily caseloads and variant-induced infections will be taken into account before considering a similar move in this country. 

She also stressed further vaccination, noting the current first-shot vaccination rate of seven percent needs to be stably higher.