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| Travelers wait in line at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, west of Seoul, May 13. Yonhap |
New COVID-19 cases fell below 30,000 for Friday in an apparent sign that the country's virus cases are significantly declining alongside eased social distancing rules.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported 29,581 new virus infections, including 25 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 17,756,627.
The daily figure fell below the 30,000 mark for the first time in 15 weeks for any Friday, and marked a sharp drop from 32,451 reported the previous day and 35,906 added Wednesday.
The country added 55 COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total to 23,661, the KDCA said, for a fatality rate of 0.13 percent.
The number of critically ill patients came to 341, compared with 347 the previous day.
The government eased social distancing guidelines last month as it saw a clear downward trend in new infections since they peaked at 621,178, March 17.
The administration also eased the outdoor mask mandate May 2, except for large gatherings of 50 or more, as it is moving toward a return to normalcy. The indoor mask mandate remains in effect.
On Friday, Korea said it plans to ease restrictions for entry into the country in a bid to boost convenience for inbound travelers.
Starting May 23, the government will recognize negative rapid antigen test results for travelers boarding flights to Korea, on top of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results currently being accepted.
Of the newly added cases, Gyeonggi Province added 6,980, Seoul accounted for 4,764, and Incheon, west of the capital, 1,407.
A total of 33.2 million people have received their first booster shots, or 64.7 percent of the population, while 3.28 million people, or 6.4 percent, have had their second boosters, the KDCA added. (Yonhap)
