SEOUL/SUWON -- Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Sunday he will push back the COVID-19 curfew on cafes, restaurants and other multiuse facilities to midnight on the first day after the March 9 election.

"On March 10, I will put a stop to unnecessary, excessive quarantine and let businesses operate freely until midnight for those fully vaccinated with booster shots," Lee said during a campaign speech in Suwon, south of Seoul.

Lee said COVID-19 has "evolved to become smaller and more agile, but its danger also decreased."

"All people in Europe took off masks. Why don't we just go about life with masks on?" he said. "If we are fully vaccinated with booster shots, critical symptoms won't show even if we get infected."

Starting Saturday, the government pushed back the business curfew by one hour to 10 p.m. while keeping the private gathering size limit at 6 people.

The decision has drawn mixed reactions, with virus experts expressing concern it could further fan the virus spread, and small merchants and self-employed people arguing the measure is not enough to help their hard-hit businesses pick up again. (Yonhap)