S.Korea eases coronavirus gathering curbs before switch to 'living with COVID'

FILE PHOTO: A woman skateboards on a shopping street amid tightened social distancing rules due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Seoul, South Korea, July 12, 2021. REUTERS/Heo Ran/File Photo

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea said on Friday it would lift stringent anti-coronavirus curbs on social gatherings next week, as the country prepares to switch to a 'living with COVID-19' strategy amid rising vaccination levels.

A new panel established this week is drawing up a plan for a gradual return to normalcy https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skorea-planning-live-more-normally-with-covid-19-after-october-2021-09-08 in the long term, eventually lifting sweeping restrictions and reopening the economy in November on the expectation that 80% of the adult population will be fully vaccinated.