“Now it seems that the end of Corona is in sight. I want to enjoy the cool river breeze while taking a walk in the Han River Citizens Park.” “I’m still anxious, but I’m afraid that even children will continue to wear masks.” When the government announced that it would effectively lift the mandatory outdoor mask from the 2nd of next month, citizens expressed their expectations and concerns at the same time.
Song Mo (32), who is raising a 24-month-old daughter, said, “Because of the mask, I felt that it had a negative effect on development because I couldn’t see the shape of the child’s mouth outside the house. It is an important time when language development is explosive, and I hope that the day will come when we can take off masks indoors as well.”
However, the parent Mr. Kim said, “I will still make the child wear a mask,” and “I have contracted Corona 19, but I do not want to get it again, and the child needs to be careful. Who knows what kind of mutation will happen?” Another parent, Mo Lee, said, “The mask is so stuffy, it’s good to be able to take it off.”
According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the mandatory outdoor mask measures will be greatly eased from 00:00 on the 2nd of next month. It has been 566 days since the mandatory mask was first implemented on October 13, 2020.
The Presidential Transition Committee expressed strong concerns about this government policy. Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the acquisition committee, pointed out, “The scientific basis is not clear as to what reason the wearing of outdoor masks can be lifted. It is a hasty judgment.”
In response, Jung Eun-kyung, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, “I made a comprehensive judgment on the fact that the immunity level is increasing due to the vaccine and natural infection, and the research result that the risk of transmission indoors is 18.7 times higher than outdoors.” “I did not judge politically.” drew
People who do a lot of outdoor activities are full of anticipation. Tennis fanatic Oh said, “It was so intense that it was difficult to exercise while wearing a mask, but now I can exercise freely, so it’s great.” Those working in outdoor construction sites or in the delivery business also showed dissatisfaction with the self-regulation of masks. Kim (56), who maintains and organizes a park in Gangnam, Seoul, said, “There are times when I am out of breath and have a hard time working, but wearing a mask was difficult.
However, the police who met and dealt with many civil servants at the scene raised concerns. A police official said, “In the case of the police, there is still a risk of infection because they deal with many civil servants.” “If more than 50 people gather at a rally or protest, it is necessary to wear a mask, but conflicts about this may arise.” he worried
A 67-year-old pharmacist in Jongno-gu, Seoul, explained, “There were a lot of customers who bought masks because there was a lot of floating population of middle-aged people, but these days, they don’t sell as much as before.” Some say that wearing a mask would be more comfortable.
Kim, 26, an office worker commuting from Gyeonggi-do to Seoul, said, “When the mask was mandatory, I didn’t have to wear makeup when commuting to work or on a business trip. As I got used to wearing a mask, there were parts that were actually more comfortable.”
[고보현 기자 / 한재범 기자 / 박제완 기자]
