Seoul City Supports Childcare Centers with 160,000 'Seoul-style Transparent Masks'

Prevention of Language Development Delay in Infants at Daycare
8 Sheets Provided per Person to 20,377 Childcare and Special Education Teachers

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 29th, Seoul City announced that it will produce the ‘Seoul-type Transparent Mask,’ which shows the mouth shape, to prevent delays in brain development such as language, cognition, and social skills in infants (0-2 years old) caused by the prolonged mandatory mask-wearing of childcare teachers, and will support 4,793 daycare centers located in Seoul during May and June.

Seoul City plans to provide 8 masks per person, totaling 163,016 masks, to 20,377 childcare and special education teachers. The city explained that infants (0-2 years old) acquire language by imitating the mouth shapes and movements of childcare teachers, which is the most important period for language acquisition, and thus produced and will support the ‘Seoul-type Transparent Mask’ for the healthy growth of children.

Earlier, Seoul City signed a business agreement with the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the first of its kind nationwide, to exchange and cooperate in various childcare policy areas such as brain development and educational support for infants and young children, and on this day, they introduced the ‘Seoul-type Transparent Mask’ for the first time. The ‘Seoul-type Transparent Mask’ produced this time focuses on maximizing the transparent window, using familiar colors that infants like, utilizing stickers, and minimizing rejection, while ensuring comfortable sizing for childcare teachers to wear and enabling prevention of COVID-19.

Although COVID-19 cases have recently decreased, Seoul City plans to intensively manage daycare centers vulnerable to infection according to quarantine guidelines to create a healthy developmental environment for infants and young children.

Kim Seon-soon, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Women and Family Policy Office, said, “‘Seoul-type Transparent Mask’ was prioritized for support after listening to experts and field voices that infants’ language and cognitive development are delayed due to the prolonged mask-wearing of childcare teachers. Especially, this year marks the 100th anniversary of Children’s Day, a very meaningful year, and we will do our best to create an environment where children can grow up bright and healthy.”