"Difficulty in Continuing to Wear Masks at School... New Guidelines to Be Distributed Soon" (Update)

On the 20th, when in-person classes postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic resumed, third-year students at a high school in Seoul are listening to their homeroom teacher explaining daily quarantine rules. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As the weather gets hotter, the health authorities have decided to issue new mask usage guidelines tailored to the characteristics of schools, considering that continuous mask-wearing at school is difficult.

Kim Kang-rip, the 1st General Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, said at a regular briefing on the morning of the 22nd, "We plan to promptly distribute mask usage guidelines that students and teachers can easily understand and follow, taking into account the spatial and age-specific characteristics of schools."

According to the current guidelines, students attending school must wear masks continuously on campus except when eating. Coordinator Kim explained, "We are identifying difficulties caused by continuous mask-wearing at schools and some issues that have arisen since the partial resumption of in-person classes," adding, "We are quickly developing alternatives that harmonize expert opinions and voices from the field."

He said, "We understand that students want to talk closely with friends they have not seen for a long time," and urged, "Please strictly follow the school quarantine rules, keeping in mind that thorough compliance with distancing and mask-wearing is the way to see your friends longer and closer in the future."

He also added, "Students should refrain from visiting enclosed and crowded multi-use facilities such as PC rooms and karaoke rooms for the time being to prevent infection," and "Faculty and staff should also avoid visiting places like clubs, pubs, karaoke rooms, and PC rooms."

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