Indoor Mask Mandate Likely to Be Lifted as Early as the 30th... Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to Decide Soon

"3 out of 4 Indicators Met"
Outlook for the 30th or February 1st

On the 17th, when government-level discussions on lifting the indoor mask-wearing mandate begin, citizens are wearing masks at a large bookstore in Seoul. The National Infectious Disease Crisis Response Advisory Committee will hold a video conference in the afternoon to discuss the timing of adjustments to the indoor mask mandate. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy reporters Lee Gwan-ju and Byeon Seon-jin] The timing for lifting the indoor mask-wearing mandate will be finalized on the 20th, just before the Lunar New Year holiday. The specific timing being discussed is either the end of this month or the beginning of next month.

On the 17th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) stated, "Regarding the adjustment of the indoor mask mandate, opinions will be gathered through the National Infectious Disease Crisis Response Advisory Committee meeting, including an evaluation of the indoor mask mandate adjustment indicators. After review by the quarantine authorities, the timing of the adjustment will be decided and announced through the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) agenda discussion on the 20th."

The advisory committee reportedly reached a consensus during their afternoon meeting that the indoor mask-wearing mandate could be lifted. The indicators previously proposed by the quarantine authorities for discussing mandate adjustments are considered largely met. The indicators include ▲ stabilization of patient occurrence ▲ reduction in severe cases and deaths ▲ stable medical response capacity ▲ immunity acquisition in high-risk groups. If two of these four indicators are met, the mandate for indoor mask-wearing will be changed from 'mandatory' to 'recommended' after discussion.

Once the mandate is adjusted, the first phase will change indoor mask-wearing to a recommendation in places excluding medical institutions, pharmacies, infection-vulnerable facilities, and public transportation. Subsequently, if the COVID-19 crisis level is downgraded or the legal infectious disease classification is adjusted (from current level 2 to level 4), mask-wearing will be recommended only when necessary, transitioning to a daily preventive measure. Chairman Jeong Gi-seok of the advisory committee said in his opening remarks, "Three out of the four evaluation indicators for adjusting the indoor mask mandate have been met."

Based on this, the advisory committee is expected to convey to the quarantine authorities that lifting the indoor mask mandate is possible. However, since the quarantine authorities have set the announcement date as the 20th, just before the Lunar New Year holiday, it is unlikely to be applied immediately during the holiday. It is widely expected that after a preparation period following the holiday, the change will be implemented. Chairman Jeong also stated, "We must also consider concerns about increased domestic inflow due to the COVID-19 outbreak in China, the possibility of new variants emerging, and the impact of population movement during the Lunar New Year holiday."

The advisory committee reportedly discussed that a preparation period is necessary for lifting the indoor mask mandate, with dates such as Monday the 30th, after the holiday, or the 1st of next month being mentioned. However, the advisory committee does not finalize the specific timing. The quarantine authorities plan to decide the timing of lifting the indoor mask mandate after discussions within the CDSCH based on the advisory committee's deliberations.