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(LEAD) S. Korea to fully lift COVID-19 quarantine in late May: KDCA

SEOUL, April 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will fully lift the seven-day mandatory quarantine for COVID-19 patients starting in late May, the public health agency said Friday.

The government will also lower the COVID-19 infectious disease level by one notch to the second-highest level out of the four-tier system, allowing patients to receive treatment at local clinics and hospitals like an endemic disease, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.

The KDCA unveiled the "post-omicron" road map as South Korea prepares to return to normalcy amid a waning virus wave, with the daily infections marking a modest decline.

Earlier in the day, the government announced it will lift all COVID-19 social distancing rules, except the mask mandate, starting next week, in the first big step toward post-pandemic days since the outbreak of the novel virus two years ago.

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