SEOUL– President Moon Jae-in on Thursday praised epidemic front-line workers and medical professionals for their dedicated service during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the nation returned to normal life, except for a mask mandate, after keeping the omicron wave under control.
“Thanks to you, we were able to successfully respond to the unprecedented crisis of infectious disease and protect the lives and safety of people, and finally return to our daily lives,” Moon said at a luncheon meeting with epidemic front-line workers, medical professionals and health officials.
However, Moon urged the people to improve their sanitation standards and for health authorities to better cope with new variants of COVID-19, saying the pandemic is not over.
“Of course, the coronavirus is not over yet. We still have to remain vigilant, take personal containment measures, and prepare for new mutations and new infectious diseases,” Moon said.
South Korea has recently removed all social distancing measures and returned to normal life. The mask mandate is the only rule that will remain in place for now, but the government is likely to lift the outdoor mask mandate next week.
Source: Yonhap News Agency