Adjustments to current social distancing rules are due to be announced on Friday, as authorities appear to agree on the need to maintain the COVID-19 pass system required to enter certain facilities a little longer. 

In a Tuesday briefing, senior health official Son Young-rae explained the government was soliciting opinions from various experts with the aim of announcing revised distancing rules on Friday.

With this deadline in mind, he said, officials were considering a range of opinions and concerns regarding the extent to which the socioeconomic fallout from the spread of omicron can be tolerated.

The government is expected to relax current measures, including the 9 p.m. curfew on restaurants and the cap on private gatherings to six people.

On a KBS program on Monday, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said relief must be provided to small businesses while a rapid spread of omicron should also be prevented.

Son said the government believes the COVID-19 pass is still needed for now but will continuously assess the situation to determine whether adjustments are necessary, depending on the extent of the outbreak as well as changes to the overall pandemic response.

Authorities are eyeing changes to social distancing rules due to their universal impact, while drawing a distinction between those regulations and the entry pass, which largely affects the unvaccinated.