Indoor mask mandate eased but restrictions in some places still remain
이 글자크기로 변경됩니다.
(예시) 가장 빠른 뉴스가 있고 다양한 정보, 쌍방향 소통이 숨쉬는 다음뉴스를 만나보세요. 다음뉴스는 국내외 주요이슈와 실시간 속보, 문화생활 및 다양한 분야의 뉴스를 입체적으로 전달하고 있습니다.
Schools and other educational services, senior centers, gyms and swimming pools can now choose whether or not to require visitors and users to wear a mask indoors, as some facilities will want to keep the indoor mask requirement out of lingering concern of potential infection waves and subsequent damage to their business.
The previous requirement for masks to be worn in all indoor public places has now been changed to a recommendation, after 658 days since it was first put in place on April 12, 2021. A mask mandate was first introduced in October 2020 as part of Covid measures.
Under the updated government guidance for masks, visitors no longer need to wear masks in big box stores, department stores or shopping malls, but they are required to wear one in pharmacies located within big box stores, for example.
The indoor mask mandate has not been lifted for hospitals or for other facilities vulnerable to infections, leaving the mandate in place at gyms and locker rooms within such spaces. However, no mask is required in a single occupant hospital room or in other “private space” within a hospital or a nursing facility, and going maskless there will not be subject to an administrative fine.
As for public transportation, anyone who does not wear a mask on board a bus or train will face an administrative fine of up to 100,000 won ($8.13). Public transportation, under the guidance, includes buses, trains, subways, urban railways, ferries, charter buses, shuttles, taxies and airplanes. Wearing a mask is not mandated, though, at bus stops or on platforms of those public transportation systems, or at the terminal or in the airport terminals.
The updated guidance highly recommends wearing a mask for people who have a cough, a runny nose, a fever or some other Covid-like symptoms, and for people who have come into contact with Covid-positive individuals. This will apply at schools and other educational services.
Other cases where wearing a mask is now only highly recommended, include people at high risk or people who have been in contact with high-risk people, people who have contacted a COVID-positive person within the past two weeks, and in spaces with a closed indoor environment with poor ventilation and spaces where people tend to conduct high droplet-producing activities.
Even though the indoor mask mandate has been lifted at schools and at other educational services as of Monday, many facilities are choosing to keep the mask requirement, including at institutional study schools, out of concern for potential damage to their business operations following a future wave of infection. They plan to decide whether or not to drop their mask mandate after carefully monitoring the situation.
Language schools with young students are also cautious about taking off their masks indoors. “We will keep the indoor mask as ‘required’ for now, for a safer environment for our students, but we will look forward to being back to normal soon as we monitor measures at kindergartens and schools,” one language school in Seoul said.
Another language school has also assured its patrons that it will keep its indoor mask requirement for all teachers and staff. As indoor masks are required in shuttle buses for kindergartens and daycares, young children will likely have to keep their masks on, even if other educational services leave the mask choice as a voluntary measure.
Copyright © 매일경제 & mk.co.kr. 무단 전재, 재배포 및 AI학습 이용 금지
- “남성과 여성손님 밥 양 달라”...식당 저격에 사장 “차별 아냐” - 매일경제
- “대출 받으려고 그만둡니다”…퇴사 부르는 이 대출, 뭐길래 [매부리레터] - 매일경제
- “한국 핫플은 여기”...외국인이 2조원 넘게 산 이것은 - 매일경제
- “몸살이 아니네”...옆구리 통증 동반됐다면 이 질환 의심을 - 매일경제
- 돌싱남에 ‘배우자 외모 중시하는 이유’ 물었더니 돌아온 답변이… - 매일경제
- “살날이 얼마 안 남아…잘 부탁한다” 누리꾼 울린 쪽지 한장 - 매일경제
- “한국이 세계 3위래”…2위 호주와 가계부채 격차 한자릿수로 축소 - 매일경제
- 방콕서 잡힌 ‘한국 꽃미남’의 정체…태국 경찰도 충격, 누구길래? - 매일경제
- “여보, 우리 다음달에 집 마련하자”...내집 마련 기회가 온다? - 매일경제
- [오피셜] ‘독일 축구 전설’ 클린스만, 한국 축구 새로운 사령탑으로 선임 - MK스포츠