Toll collection on highways will be suspended during the upcoming Chuseok holiday.

The government announced on Wednesday that the toll exemptions will be in place between September 9 and 12, unlike the previous two years when the government collected the tolls to limit the spread of the virus. 

Toll exemption during Chuseok had been in place since 2017, but was suspended in 2020. 

Additional changes to holiday travel this year will see a suspension of the ban on eating at expressway rest stops as well as on buses and trains and the removal of the limit on family or other private gatherings.

However, the government will maintain its ban on in-person visits to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities during the holiday to help prevent COVID-19 infections during the period.

The government will also set up more temporary screening centers at nine rest stops in the Gyeonggi and Gyeongsang provinces to enable the public to get PCR tests free of charge.

Second vice health and welfare minister Lee Ki-il recommended that the public get vaccinated before visiting their hometowns for Chuseok and refrain from extended stays.