From the 2nd of the next month, you will no longer need to wear a mask outdoors.
Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom, presiding over the Corona 19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting at the government complex in Seoul on the morning of the 29th, announced that the mandatory outdoor mask will be lifted from next Monday.
However, Prime Minister Kim said, “Considering the risk of infection due to crowding and shouting, etc., we will maintain the duty to wear a mask at meetings, performances, and sports events attended by more than 50 people as it is now.”
He added, “We strongly recommend wearing an outdoor mask if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or high-risk groups, and if it is difficult to maintain a distance of more than 1m in a large crowd or if there is a lot of droplet generation.”
Regarding the background of this measure, Prime Minister Kim said, “The quarantine and medical conditions are clearly stabilizing. Compared to the peak period of Omicron, the number of confirmed cases has decreased by 20% or less, and the number of severe cases has decreased by less than half. It came down to around 20% in a week,” he said.
He also explained, “We will continue to improve quarantine regulations in consideration of the quarantine situation, which has been on the decline for the sixth week since the peak, and our earnest desire for daily recovery.”
Prime Minister Kim added, “France, New Zealand, and Singapore lifted their mask wearing obligations right after the peak of Omicron or around a month or so, but they are showing a decreasing trend without any particular problem.”
Administrative orders were issued for each local government starting from Gyeonggi Province in August 2020, and the mandatory national level mask wearing began in October of the same year.
Most major countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany have lifted restrictions on outdoor masks, and most of indoor masks have also been partially or completely lifted except Singapore and New Zealand.
