Seoul, May 6 : South Korea plans to "swiftly" lower its national crisis level for Covid-19, the head of the country's public health agency said on Saturday, after the WHO declared an end to the virus as a global health emergency earlier this week.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Commissioner Jee Young-mee made the announcement in a release, following WHO's move Friday to end the public health emergency of international concern that had been in place since January 2020. 

"By considering the WHO Emergency Committee results, the trend of the virus' spread at home and abroad, domestic antivirus measures, medical response capabilities, policies of major countries, and others, we will swiftly confirm the downgrade plan for the COVID-19 emergency level through an emergency assessment meeting with experts," Jee said. 

In March, South Korea unveiled a road map to eventually redefine COVID-19 as an endemic and ease the remaining virus restrictions after WHO declares an end to the global emergency status for the virus.