A notice urges customers to wear masks inside a cafe in Seoul on Jan. 16, 2023. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s new COVID-19 cases fell to the lowest Tuesday tally in 13 weeks in a sign of a downward trend in new infections, as the country prepares to lift the indoor mask mandate.
The country reported 40,199 new COVID-19 infections, including 95 from overseas, bringing the total to 29,861,234, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.
Tuesday’s tally is down by around 20,000 from the previous week and half the daily caseload from two weeks ago, the KDCA data showed. It also marked the lowest for any Tuesday since Oct. 18, when the country reported 33,218 cases.
South Korea added 30 COVID-19 deaths, raising the death toll to 33,014.
The number of critically ill patients stood at 503, down by seven from the previous day.
On Tuesday, an expert advisory board held a video conference to collect opinions about easing the indoor mask mandate, the last remaining pandemic restriction.
The KDCA said it will review their recommendations and announce the timing of the lifting of the mask mandate on Friday, just before the Lunar New Year holiday.
The government said earlier it could scrap the mask mandate in phases if at least two of four criteria are met.
Those criteria include a downward trend in new infections and critically ill cases and deaths, as well as strong medical response capabilities and a high vaccination rate among high-risk groups.
(Yonhap)
