South Korea to relax outdoor mask mandate as Covid-19 slows

A woman wearing a face mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walks near the flowers at a park in Seoul, South Korea (Lee Jin-man/AP)

South Korea will ease its outdoor mask mandate starting from next week as Covid-19 infections and hospitalisations continue to decline.

Starting from Monday, people will only be required to wear a mask outdoors when participating in gatherings of more than 50 people or attending sports and cultural events with potentially large crowds, health authorities said in a briefing on Friday.