From July 1, people nationwide who have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine are exempt from wearing a mask outdoors. Yonhap News 

By Kim Hyelin and Lee Jihae

People who have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine from July 1 are exempt from wearing a mask at outdoor places such as parks and trails.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the overall quarantine group of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, on June 30 told a regular online briefing, "Those who've been vaccinated and maintain a distance of 2 m or greater from others in highly secluded cases are not obligated to wear masks."

Vaccinated people are also exempt from the limit on the number of people at a  private gathering. Those who got their first shot at least two weeks beforehand are exempt from such a limit in outdoor multipurpose facilities. And those for whom at least two weeks have passed since getting fully vaccinated are exempt at both indoor and outdoor facilities.

Yet people either partially or fully vaccinated must still wear masks at crowded public places such as rallies, concerts, events, outdoor stadiums, concert halls, amusement parks and markets.

In regions outside the Greater Seoul area, social distancing measures of Level 1 took effect on June 1.

As long as basic rules of social distancing are followed such as wearing masks and recording those going in and out of venues for contact tracing, multipurpose facilities can operate without restrictions.

In addition, 12 regions including the provinces of Gyeongsangbuk-do, Chungcheongbuk-do and Jeollanam-do will hold a "buffer" period until July 14 by enforcing the cap on the number of people at a private gathering at eight. The number is six on Jeju Island, while Chungcheongnam-do Province is the country's lone region to fully lift the cap.

With the daily number of infections in the capital region of Seoul, Gyeonggi-do Province and Incheon seeing a sudden rise, the area will maintain its social distancing level until July 7. Thus the limit on the number of people at a private gathering there will stay at four.

kimhyelin211@korea.kr