'Mask 5-Day Rotation' Today for Birth Years Ending in 1 and 6... Proxy Purchase Scope Also Expanded

On the morning of the 8th, citizens lined up to purchase public masks at a pharmacy in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, after hearing the news that public masks had been stocked. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] Starting Monday the 9th, the 'Mask Purchase System by Birth Year' will be implemented.

On the first day of the mask purchase system, only people whose birth year ends in 1 or 6 can buy 2 masks at pharmacies.

When purchasing, one must bring either a resident registration card, driver's license, or passport. For people with disabilities, children, or the elderly, a cohabiting family member listed on the resident registration can purchase on their behalf.

Once the pharmacy inputs the purchase record into the duplicate purchase verification system, the buyer cannot purchase additional masks for one week.

On the 8th, citizens lined up in front of a pharmacy in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, to purchase public masks. / Photo by Yonhap News

For children under 10 years old (born after January 1, 2010) or seniors aged 80 or older (born before December 31, 1940), a cohabiting family member listed on the resident registration can purchase masks on their behalf. In other words, on this day, family members can buy masks for children born in 2011 or 2016 and seniors born in 1936, 1931, or 1926.

For people with disabilities, if it is their designated purchase day, masks can be purchased through a proxy even if the proxy is not a cohabiting family member.

Previously, on the 6th, the government announced a policy that seniors and infants, excluding people with disabilities, could not have masks purchased on their behalf. This was an unavoidable measure to balance the supply and demand of public masks.

At that time, Lee Eui-kyung, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "The government has thought a lot about the proxy purchase issue for seniors and infants," but added, "Since supply is very limited, the principle is to strictly enforce this system."

However, on this day, President Moon Jae-in instructed to "expand the scope of proxy mask receipt," leading to a change in guidelines allowing proxy purchases of masks for children under 10 and seniors aged 80 or older.

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