No Mask Mandate for Infants Under 24 Months
Confusion Due to Lack of Infant Regulations in KDCA Guidelines
Ministry of Health Recommends Wearing Masks When Sharing School Vehicles
On the 30th, students of Gwangjang Elementary School in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, where the indoor mask-wearing mandate was lifted, are getting off the school bus. Most students wore masks to school. From midnight on this day, the government adjusted the indoor mask-wearing mandate to a recommendation, except for certain facilities such as public transportation, medical facilities, and infection-vulnerable facilities. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Infants and toddlers in daycare centers are not required to wear masks in commuting or school vehicles.
On the 1st, the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated, "According to the quarantine authorities' guidelines that do not recommend mask-wearing for infants under 24 months, infants are not obligated to wear masks."
Since the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Central Disease Control Headquarters' guidelines do not have separate regulations for infants and toddlers in daycare centers, some confusion arose on-site regarding whether young children must wear masks on daycare commuting vehicles.
In response, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "The Central Disease Control Headquarters empathizes with the special circumstances on-site and will ensure through continuous consultation that there is no confusion about mask-wearing on daycare commuting vehicles in accordance with changing situations."
From the 30th of last month, the indoor mask-wearing mandate was lifted except for public transportation and similar places. The latest guidelines from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's Central Disease Control Headquarters include "all vehicles operated for commuting or schooling purposes" under mandatory mask-wearing on public transportation, which caused confusion about whether infants and toddlers are included.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's latest "Daycare Center Response Guidelines for COVID-19 Outbreak Preparedness," since 2020, infants and toddlers in daycare centers have not been explicitly required to wear masks. Due to the unique nature of the on-site environment where children must share the same space, mask-wearing has been recommended for young children when sharing commuting vehicles.
Under the Central Disease Control Headquarters' guidelines, infants under 24 months are exempt from fines for violating mask-wearing mandates. Children under 14 years old are also exempt from fines according to the "Act on the Regulation of Violations," which governs the imposition and collection of fines.
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