From the 27th, No Boarding Without a Mask in Busan

Busan City Imposes Boarding Refusal Measures on Subway Following Taxi and Bus

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] From the 27th, you cannot ride the subway in Busan without a mask.

Busan City and Busan Transportation Corporation announced on the 26th that starting from the 27th, subway use will be restricted for those not wearing masks in preparation for the resurgence of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Station staff and urban railway security officers plan to patrol the gates and inside the trains to enforce this. Passengers who refuse to wear masks will be firmly dealt with, including being denied boarding or asked to disembark.

As the city and transportation corporation have been promoting mask-wearing on the subway, their own investigation found that almost no one used the subway without wearing a mask.

However, as the weather gets warmer, the number of passengers uncomfortable with wearing masks is increasing, and with elementary, middle, and high school classes starting one after another, they explained that they cannot let their guard down and thus are taking such “strong measures.”

The transportation corporation decided to install mask vending machines inside stations for the convenience of passengers who forgot to bring masks when boarding the subway. These will be introduced sequentially from early to mid-June at eight major hub stations including Seomyeon Station. They also plan to maximize sales locations by having convenience stores and underground shopping mall shops sell masks.

Busan City has enforced mandatory mask-wearing in taxis since March and in buses since May, and passengers without masks can be refused boarding.