The government said on Wednesday that a decision on whether to keep the outdoor mask mandate in place will be made early next month.

Interior and safety minister Jeon Hae-cheol said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters that it is still significantly important to wear masks and that decisions on outdoor mask-wearing will be made after a close internal evaluation and hearings from experts.

Jeon said the government will still follow through on its decision to lift all social and physical distancing rules and suspend compulsory advance reviews of plans by regional governments and entities to hold festivals with more than 300 participants.

Regarding a gradual downgrading of the infectious disease level of COVID-19, which is scheduled to begin next week, the minister said final confirmation on a complete transition will be decided in late May following four weeks of adjustment.

He assessed that the number of daily COVID-19 infections has been on the decline for the fourth consecutive week and pointed to the reproduction number of zero-point-78, marking the third week in a row that the number registered below one.