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| People, some wearing masks and others not, walk around a neighborhood in Jung District in central Seoul. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han |
Outdoor mask mandate to be lifted Monday
By Lee Hae-rin
The government is expected to speed up the pace of its COVID-19 exit strategy after its decision to lift all outdoor mask mandates starting Monday.
The next steps are likely to range from ending the post-arrival PCR test to resuming face-to-face visits at nursing hospitals, and it is considering a step-by-step easing of the seven-day quarantine for infected patients.
Until Sunday, those at outdoor gatherings of 50 or more people, such as sporting events, had to wear masks, but it is no longer required, according to the government.
"We are clearly overcoming the hurdle of the recent resurgence of the coronavirus," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said during a government meeting at the Government Complex in Sejong, Friday. The government plans to map out a new set of low-risk quarantine measures to solve the public's inconveniences based on feedback from experts, the prime minister said.
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Experts seem to welcome the country's gradual lifting of quarantine measures. Chun Eun-mi, a pulmonologist at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital backed "voluntary mask-wearing," where people are no longer required to wear masks at well-ventilated low-risk indoor facilities but those who have never been infected with the COVID-19 or those who feel unsafe can voluntarily choose to wear masks.
According to Chun, outdoor mask wearing is no longer an effective and scientific means to stop the spread of the infectious disease, as about 97 percent of people have been detected to have antibodies, either through the vaccine or through infection. Also, the mask-wearing mandate serves as a hindrance to young children's linguistic development by hiding half of people's faces, Chun said.
However, the mandate for indoor mask wearing will remain effective for a while, considering the possible risk of a "twindemic" of seasonal influenza and resurgence of the coronavirus this autumn and winter, he said.
Meanwhile, Chun said that restoring the medical system to that of the days before the pandemic is more important than retaining the indoor mask-wearing mandate for preventing damages from possible "multi-demics" of several infectious diseases.
According to Chun, the number of daily new coronavirus cases has declined, while the number of deaths and critically ill cases continue to rise these days because hospitals place these patients under quarantine and refuse to treat them before they are confirmed negative in their PCR test results, which usually takes around 24 hours. Thus, those who show signs of fever should be active about getting treatment for influenza or other infectious diseases while waiting to be tested for the coronavirus, she said.
Face-to-face visits at high-risk facilities such as nursing hospitals are another measure that might be subject to change. The country allowed visits to hospitals earlier in June but has toughened the relevant measure again since July 25 due to the current resurgence of the virus.
Another regulation under discussion is PCR testing within one day of arrival for inbound travelers.
The country has lifted the self-isolation requirement for vaccinated travelers in April and for unvaccinated arrivals in June. On Sept. 3, the country removed the pre-departure COVID-19 test requirement.
The PCR test for arrivals is the last travel regulation left in place for international arrivals in the country. Some have criticized the test as the government has no actual way of enforcing it.
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