Despite Declining COVID-19 Cases... Why 'Indoor Mask Wearing' Cannot Be Lifted

Reinfection Possible 90 Days After Initial Infection Even in COVID-19 Recoverees
Potential Airborne Transmission of Monkeypox Also Considered

On April 15, when the government decided to fully lift social distancing measures after 2 years and 1 month, office workers wearing masks were heading to work on Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] As the number of domestic COVID-19 cases drops to around 10,000, voices calling for the removal of indoor mask mandates are emerging among citizens. However, due to concerns such as decreased immunity and the possibility of airborne transmission of the monkeypox virus, it seems difficult to lift the mandate for the time being.

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters (CDCH) of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on the 9th, as of midnight, the number of new domestic COVID-19 cases was recorded at 10,216. This marks the second consecutive day with cases in the 10,000 range, following 13,358 cases the previous day. Over the past week from the 3rd, new cases were 12,542 → 12,048 → 9,835 → 5,022 → 6,172 → 13,358 → 10,216.

Following the downward trend in cases, the government lifted the outdoor mask-wearing mandate on the 2nd of last month, and opinions are emerging among citizens to leave indoor mask-wearing voluntary as well.

However, health authorities emphasize that even those who have recovered from COVID-19 can be reinfected after 90 days from the initial infection, so the indoor mask mandate should continue.

Im Suk-young, Head of the Situation Management Division at the KDCA CDCH, stated at a regular briefing on the 7th, "The last line of defense in infection control is indoor masks," adding, "Since the timing of infection varies among recovered individuals, the degree of natural immunity decline differs. Also, because the risk of transmission is high in enclosed and crowded indoor environments, indoor masks must be maintained."

She particularly stressed the need for caution during the summer when air conditioner use increases. Im said, "When using air conditioners, ventilation tends to be neglected," and urged, "In multi-use facilities, natural ventilation should be conducted for more than 10 minutes every 2 hours, and when staying in such environments for 3 days, please wear health masks rated KF80 or higher."

Professor Chun Eun-mi of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Ewha Mokdong Hospital also said, "The actual number of confirmed cases is estimated to be 3 to 4 times higher than the currently reported figures," adding, "It is not yet a complete endemic situation."

She further stated, "Masks provide significant protection," and predicted, "Assuming no new variants emerge and only Omicron subvariants circulate as now, mask-wearing could be made voluntary from the second half of this year to around next spring."

Monkeypox. /Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, adding to this situation, as the number of monkeypox cases surpasses 1,000, the possibility of airborne transmission of the monkeypox virus has emerged, making it even more difficult to lift the indoor mask mandate.

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 8th (local time), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance last week advising travelers to wear masks to protect themselves from monkeypox but later withdrew the guidance. The CDC explained the withdrawal by saying, "It could cause confusion among travelers."

The NYT reported that the CDC's action suggests that the monkeypox virus can spread through the air at least over short distances.

Initially, monkeypox was considered to have low transmissibility and was unlikely to cause a pandemic like COVID-19. Unlike COVID-19, which can spread through aerosols in the air, monkeypox mainly infects through direct contact with a patient's lesions or bodily fluids.

However, as monkeypox cases continue to rise, there have been reports of suspected airborne transmission infections. There have been cases of monkeypox infection that are difficult to explain without airborne transmission. For example, in 2017 in Nigeria, two healthcare workers who had no direct contact with infected patients contracted monkeypox.

In the early stages of the monkeypox outbreak, many cases involved young male sexual minorities infected through sexual contact. The infection spread as patients had close contact with others. However, in the U.S., a small number of cases have been identified where individuals were infected without close contact with confirmed cases or overseas travel.

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