The South Korean government announced on Friday its plan to return to normal life including flexible working hours, mandatory self-isolation for those displaying symptoms, and even eating meals in restaurants as quickly as possible.

However, they warned that normality would not resume for two years.

South Korea has been praised for its response to the Covid-19 outbreak. It has tested more people per capita than any other country in the world and has suffered only 10,708 cases and just 240 deaths.

Key to its success has been widespread testing and aggressive contact tracing made possible by tracking apps.

The rapid and effective response plan by the government was developed after an outbreak of Sars in 2015 which killed 36 people.

"The government is preparing a transition to a sustainable routine distancing scheme with the goal of carrying out regular social and economic activity and preventing Covid-19 infections at the same time," Kim Gang-lip, the vice health minister, told a briefing.