Provision of Free and Paid Masks in Public Places... 'No Mask' Fines Starting from the 13th

Approximately 20 Million Masks Provided for Vulnerable Groups
Daily Average of New Confirmed Cases at 88.7... Relatively High Level

On the 8th, the second day of the new 'Social Distancing' Level 1 implementation, a mask-wearing notice is posted at a shopping mall in Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] Ahead of the imposition of fines on mask non-wearers starting on the 13th, the government has decided to provide free and paid masks at various public places.

This is to prevent unfair cases where people are fined for not having prepared masks in time or for losing them.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) announced on the 8th during a regular briefing that it plans to promote the provision of masks in public places.

Under the new 'Social Distancing' Level 1, masks must be worn on public transportation, medical institutions, pharmacies, rallies and demonstrations, indoor sports game viewing, and multi-use facilities.

If masks are not worn, a fine of up to 100,000 KRW will be imposed. The fine enforcement will be fully implemented from the 13th after a grace period.

The government plans to provide masks, either free or paid, at public transportation facilities such as local government community centers, libraries, major passenger ship and bus terminals, railway stations, and airports, considering the number of facility users.

Requests will also be made to medical institutions, restaurants, fitness centers, academies, and distribution logistics centers to prepare masks.

Additionally, about 20 million masks will be provided free of charge through social welfare foundations for vulnerable groups such as elderly care facilities and orphanages. Masks will also be prepared for use by police officers, military police, and soldiers.

Park Neung-hoo, Minister of Health and Welfare and First Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, is briefing on the results of the COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 8th. (Photo by Yonhap News)

From the 1st to the 7th of this month, the average daily number of newly confirmed local COVID-19 cases in the country was 88.7, an increase of 1.8 cases compared to 86.9 cases in the previous week (October 25?31).

Although the newly revised 'Social Distancing' system is in effect, the number of infections remains high. Most of the locally transmitted confirmed cases came from the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon. The average daily number of new local cases in the metropolitan area over the past week was 65.4.

Park Neung-hoo, the first deputy head of the CDSCH (Minister of Health and Welfare), said at a regular briefing, "The infection reproduction number is fluctuating around 1, and the speed of COVID-19 spread is slightly ahead of the tracking and suppression speed of the quarantine authorities."

The reproduction number indicates how many people, on average, one infected person transmits the virus to; generally, a value above 1 means the virus is spreading rapidly.

Deputy Head Park emphasized, "If the current trend of spread continues, there is a growing risk that the metropolitan area will meet the criteria for raising social distancing to Level 1.5, so the government is strengthening quarantine management with vigilance."

According to the government, there has been no impact yet from the infection spread related to 'Halloween Day' (October 31), when many young people gathered at clubs and bars. However, since the incubation period can be up to 14 days, the government plans to closely monitor future case trends.

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