"Baseball Stadiums and Concert Halls Alike"… Masks Fully Removed Outdoors Starting the 26th

"Mask Wearing Recommended Outdoors for High-Risk, Symptomatic, and Crowded Environments"
Indoor Mask Use to Continue for the Time Being

On the 23rd, the government decided to fully lift the outdoor mask-wearing mandate starting from the 26th. Near Gongdeok Five-way Intersection in Mapo-gu, Seoul, office workers are seen walking without masks. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

From the 26th, the outdoor mask-wearing mandate will be completely lifted. This means that this fall, you will not need to wear a mask when watching games at baseball stadiums or attending outdoor concerts.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 25th, starting from the 26th, the regulation requiring masks to be worn when attending gatherings, performances, or sports events with more than 50 people outdoors will be removed.

Earlier, on the 23rd, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated, "We are clearly overcoming the peak of the COVID-19 resurgence," and added, "Considering the quarantine situation and public inconvenience, we will gradually lift low-risk quarantine regulations after consulting experts."

In Korea, the mask-wearing mandate began on October 13, 2020, the first year COVID-19 occurred. From April 12 of the following year, mask-wearing was mandatory outdoors in places where maintaining a 2-meter distance between people was not possible.

Then, earlier this year, after the peak of the Omicron wave passed and the infectious disease response system shifted to a daily quarantine basis, the outdoor mask mandate was lifted on May 2 except for gatherings, performances, and games with 50 or more people. As the summer resurgence clearly declined, the regulation for '50 or more people' will also be lifted from the 26th of this month. This means the outdoor mask mandate will be completely removed after about 1 year and 5 months.

Accordingly, from now on, you will not need to wear masks when watching sports games held outdoors, attending outdoor performances, or large-scale gatherings. You can also enjoy outdoor walking paths, hiking trails, outdoor physical education classes, outdoor weddings, outdoor subway platforms, amusement parks, and more without masks.

However, the indoor mask-wearing mandate will be maintained for the time being. This is a measure considering the increase in flu patients and the possibility of a COVID-19 resurgence in winter. The health authorities recommend that even though the outdoor mask mandate is lifted, masks should be actively worn in crowded outdoor situations where the risk of infection is relatively high.

The recommended groups for outdoor mask-wearing include ▲people with suspected COVID-19 symptoms ▲high-risk groups such as the elderly, immunocompromised, unvaccinated individuals, and those in close contact with high-risk groups ▲situations where many people gather and there is a high generation of droplets (saliva) such as shouting, singing in chorus, or talking loudly.

Baek Kyung-ran, Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, emphasized, "Removing the mandatory penalty for fines does not mean that outdoor mask-wearing is unnecessary," and added, "Individual voluntary practice according to the situation is important." Director Baek also stated, "The indoor mask-wearing mandate will be further discussed by the (National Infectious Disease Crisis Response) Advisory Committee regarding the epidemic situation, evidence, criteria for easing, and timing," and "We will make decisions after comprehensively reviewing various concerns and effects."