Indoor mask mandate to be downgraded to recommendation as early as January

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Indoor mask mandate to be downgraded to recommendation as early as January

Published: 23 Dec. 2022, 11:47 Updated: 23 Dec. 2022, 14:12

Jee Young-mee, chief of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) takes off her mask before speaking with the press on the latest on the indoor mask mandate in Korea on Friday.[NEWS1]

The indoor mask mandate in Korea will be downgraded to a recommendation, as early as next month, but only when certain conditions are met, said health authorities.

“When the current outbreak passes its peak and stabilizes, and the number of severe cases and deaths also enter a downward trend, all the while the medical response capacity remains stable, then we will change the mandate to a recommendation,” said Jee Young-mee, chief of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) in a press briefing on Friday.

The recommendation would mean people can decide themselves whether to wear a mask or not.

Even when the mandate is replaced with a recommendation, masks will still be required for medical facilities and on public transportation, according to the KDCA.

Korea is the only country among OECD member states that requires face masks in all indoor facilities.

Two out of four conditions that need to be met for the indoor mask mandate to be switched to a recommendation — cases must not be peaking, the number of patients in severe condition and deaths must be on the decrease, hospitals and clinics must have enough beds and a good proportion of the population at higher risk of infection must be fully vaccinated.

The KDCA expects to be able to make a further announcement on the indoor mask mandate in January.

“We think that the current outbreak will peak in January,” Jee said. “We will monitor the situation for the next two weeks, and if there is a downward trend, we will see if a switch to recommendation can happen.”

The indoor mask rule is among Korea’s last remaining Covid restrictions. Many other rules were lifted earlier this year, including an outdoor mask mandate.

Other Covid restrictions still in place include a mandatory seven-day quarantine for infected people.

“Currently, we are not looking to suspend the quarantine measure for Covid-19 patients,” said Lim Sook-young, a senior official at the KDCA, in the press briefing. “We will have to judge whether the current outbreak of the winter season will be stabilized. After that, I think we can discuss the adjustment of quarantine obligations.”

Korea added 68,168 new cases as of midnight Thursday, bringing the total number of infected to 28,534,558.

A total of 63 people died of Covid-19 from Thursday to Friday, bringing the total number of deaths to 31,674 with a death rate of 0.11 percent.

There were 530 critically ill Covid-19 patients as of midnight Thursday, according to the KDCA.

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]