As of October 23, the Korean government announced that the vaccination completion rate in the country surpassed 70%, reaching the proposed standard for a phased transition back to regular life. In alignment with the launch of the “Living with COVID-19” policy by the government, KAIST established Phase One COVID-19 prevention measures and basic guidelines for a normalized campus community.

The new school policy for prevention of the spread of COVID-19 went into effect on November 1. Offline classes are allowed after approval from the KAIST administration. The Academic Cultural Complex (E9), ACC in short, is open from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. on weekdays and does not operate on weekends. Maximum capacity in the reading rooms of the ACC is increased, for which the exact starting date will be announced separately by the Information Service for Knowledge and Culture. The study rooms of the Main Library (E9) are also open, but all school protocols and government guidelines must continue to be abided: masks are required and food is forbidden. Similarly, student activities such as club gatherings must follow the government COVID-19 protocols; yet, gathering limits still remain to be four even if people are fully vaccinated. School events are also held in accordance with the government’s COVID-19 protocols: up to 99 people are permitted to gather, but if all participants are fully vaccinated, up to 499 people can gather. For more details, refer to the COVID-19 section on the KAIST Portal.

While there have been no additional cases of COVID-19 reported on campus since the mandatory PCR testing was conducted from September 28 to October 1, the recent number of confirmed cases in Korea is at a record-high level. Therefore, the Provost and Executive Vice President Seung Seob Lee asks students to strictly adhere to personal safety regulations such as wearing masks consistently, and strongly advises students to get vaccinated. Furthermore, he mentioned that KAIST members who are not vaccinated would be required to get PCR tests periodically. Although KAIST gradually loosens COVID-19 restrictions, students should abide by the personal safety measures more strictly.