"Ah, It's Frustrating, So I Don't Wear It" Homeless People 'No Mask' Pandemic Blind Spot [Reporter Han Goes]

Mandatory Indoor and Outdoor Mask Wearing in Seoul
Many Homeless People Not Wearing Masks, Effectively Ignoring Quarantine Rules
Concerns Over Droplets as a Link to COVID-19 Spread
Citizens Express Anxiety, "Government Should Pay More Attention to Homeless People"

On the afternoon of the 25th, homeless people gathered and sat on one side of Seoul Station Plaza, sharing food and drinking soju. Not a single homeless person is seen wearing a mask. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "It's hot and stuffy... and no masks." , "I don't get sick."

On the afternoon of the 25th, most of the homeless people encountered at Seoul Station Plaza were not wearing masks. In that situation, some homeless people were sitting closely together, drinking soju on the street, and sharing food.

It was a situation where droplets from passersby or viruses exposed in the air could easily penetrate among the homeless people.

As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) surged, Seoul City implemented mandatory indoor and outdoor mask-wearing on the 24th, but only a handful of homeless people wore masks. It was effectively a 'blind spot' in quarantine where the rules were ignored.

About 50 homeless people were seen in the plaza that day, with only about seven wearing masks. Even those were either worn as 'tuck masks' (mask hanging on the chin) or just hooked on the ears.

A homeless person met on one side of the plaza said about not wearing a mask, "I don't get sick even if I don't wear a mask." Another homeless person had a similar attitude. Many homeless people had no masks at all. Most were practically ignoring COVID-19 quarantine rules.

They did not wear masks because it was hot or because breathing felt stuffy. Some even expressed dissatisfaction with the mask-wearing atmosphere.

A man in his 50s who said he had been homeless at Seoul Station for over ten years explained his reason for not wearing a mask: "I don't go around; I stay here all the time, so I don't think I'll get sick." He added, "The weather is too hot, how can I wear a mask all day long?"

On the afternoon of the 25th, homeless people are gathered sitting in a corner of Seoul Station Plaza. None of the homeless are wearing masks. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr

About ten homeless people nearby were sitting on the ground having a drinking party. Not only were they not wearing masks, but they were sitting closely together, face to face, sharing food. If someone were to test positive for COVID-19, not only the surrounding homeless people but others could also be infected.

A homeless person seen on the plaza stairs was continuously smoking and spitting without a mask. Citizens' concerns about this were high. Kim, a company employee in his 30s, said, "It's worrying because the homeless people are not wearing masks," and quickly turned away.

According to McDonald's on the 23rd, McDonald's was notified on the 22nd by health authorities that employee A at the Seoul Station branch tested positive for COVID-19. McDonald's closed the store at 1 PM that day, conducted disinfection, and placed all employees under self-quarantine. The photo shows the McDonald's storefront suspended from operation on the 25th. Photo by Han Seung-gon hsg@asiae.co.kr

Lee, a worker in his 20s who said he commutes through Seoul Station, explained, "There have been COVID-19 cases at Seoul Station, so I pay extra attention to wearing a mask and following quarantine rules when passing through here." He added, "Many homeless people are not wearing masks, and I worry about their health. I hope this situation improves."

As Lee worried, the distance from the McDonald's inside Seoul Station, where a COVID-19 case was confirmed, to the street where homeless people gathered was only a two-minute walk.

Counting steps while walking, it was 167 steps. If the infected person wandered around various places in Seoul Station, it is possible that the COVID-19 virus could be among the homeless people. Considering confirmed cases in the Namdaemun shopping district near the plaza, the homeless people's lack of mask-wearing at Seoul Station could cause bigger problems.

Amid growing concerns about COVID-19 spread due to homeless people's lack of mask-wearing, there is an outreach system that helps with homeless rehabilitation. Outreach refers to welfare workers directly meeting homeless people on the street to provide welfare services. Through this, they recommend mask-wearing to homeless people. However, it is realistically difficult to manage all homeless people under the mandatory mask-wearing enforcement.

On the 24th, citizens are waiting to be tested at the COVID-19 screening clinic set up in front of Severance Hospital in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Honam Moon munonoam@

Meanwhile, COVID-19 continues to spread. As of midnight on the 25th, 280 new domestic cases were reported, marking the second consecutive day with cases in the 200s.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that as of that day, there were 280 new COVID-19 cases domestically, with 264 domestic transmissions and 16 imported cases.

The daily new cases have remained in the triple digits for 12 consecutive days since recording 103 on the 14th. After reaching the high 300s on the 23rd, the number has stayed in the 200s for two days, but increased compared to 266 cases on the 24th.

Among the 264 domestic new cases, Seoul had 134, Gyeonggi 63, and Incheon 15, making the metropolitan area the most affected. Other regions included Daejeon 10, Chungnam 9, Gangwon 8, Daegu 5, Gwangju 4, Jeonbuk 4, Busan 3, Sejong 3, Jeju 3, Gyeongnam 2, and Jeonnam 1.

Experts suggested more proactive management is urgent. A welfare project official said, "In the situation where COVID-19 is surging, homeless people's lack of mask-wearing can be a link in infection transmission," emphasizing, "It is time for the government to take more active management."

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