"Can't Wear Masks in the Office?" New Coronavirus Spread... Indoor Mask Wearing, Office Workers Feeling Pressured

GS Home Shopping, Where Patient No. 20 Worked, Faces First 'Workplace Shutdown' Measure
"Want to Wear Masks in Office but Feel Pressured"
Experts Say "Wearing Masks Indoors More Important Than Outdoors"

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "Is it okay to wear a mask at work? I'm worried people might think I'm being overly cautious..."

With the spread of the novel coronavirus infection making mask-wearing essential, some office workers have private concerns. They want to wear masks not only outdoors but also inside the office, but some colleagues give them side glances, saying it's excessive. Experts explain that wearing masks indoors is more important than outdoors.

A first-year office worker A (27) said, "I haven't seen anyone wearing a mask inside the office yet. Bank or supermarket employees wear masks, but in our workplace, it seems like wearing a mask is considered over the top," adding, "I want to wear a mask myself, but since no one around me wears one, I feel self-conscious."

He continued, "In China, hundreds have died from the novel coronavirus, but people at my company seem to be too complacent," expressing his anxiety.

Amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus, citizens wearing masks are walking at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on the morning of the 29th of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Cases of office workers struggling with mask-wearing are also appearing on social networking services (SNS) and online communities.

One netizen shared on an online community, "I want to wear a mask while working, but the company has no guidelines, and I'm the only one wearing one. I feel self-conscious because others might think I'm being overly cautious. Especially since I have children at home, I'm more worried, but since no one around me wears a mask, I have no choice but to be careful myself, which is really frustrating," they confessed.

On the other hand, some consider wearing masks even at work to be excessive. A netizen who said they wear a mask in the office said, "Many people come to the company, and some visitors sometimes get upset that I wear a mask. They say I'm being overly cautious. I'm human too, so I can't help but get annoyed in such situations," they lamented.

Office worker B (26) said, "Wearing a mask is bothersome, so I don't wear it often. Also, I wonder if wearing a mask indoors all day would feel suffocating," adding, "I've seen people wearing masks at work, and I find myself looking at them without realizing it."

Experts suggest that wearing masks indoors is more important than outdoors. Doctor-turned-broadcaster Hong Hyegul said on his SNS, "Masks should be worn more strictly indoors than outdoors," emphasizing, "The chance of infection through outdoor air is almost none. You should wear masks diligently in enclosed spaces like offices, elevators, cars, or subways."

Meanwhile, as of 9 a.m. on the 7th, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Central Disease Control Headquarters confirmed one additional confirmed patient. This brings the total number of domestic patients to 24. The cumulative number of symptomatic individuals under investigation is 1,106, with 842 testing negative. The remaining 264 are still being tested.

Patient number 24 (28-year-old male, Korean) is a colleague of patient number 13 (28-year-old male, Korean), the first confirmed case among Wuhan evacuees. Patient 24 was tested after developing a sore throat and was confirmed positive. He is currently hospitalized at the National Medical Center.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.