Jeong Gi-seok "Indoor Mask Removal Possible by the End of January"

Daejeon City and Local Governments Push to Lift 'Indoor Mask' Mandate
"50 Deaths Per Day, Why Raise Controversy Now?"
"Possible by Late January According to Indicators... Should Not Move Due to Public Opinion or Pressure"

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Jeong Gi-seok, Chair of the National Infectious Disease Crisis Response Advisory Committee, expressed concerns about some local governments' push to lift the indoor mask mandate. However, he mentioned that mask removal could be considered at the end of January depending on COVID-19 infection statistics and other indicators.

In an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the morning of the 6th, Chair Jeong said, "At this point in the middle of winter, with the flu raging and COVID-19 still not stabilized, and with an average of 50 of our citizens passing away daily, I don't understand why the call to immediately lift the mask mandate suddenly came up. I don't think this is a decision based on science."

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, Daejeon City sent an official letter to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters stating that if the government does not make a decision by the 15th, they would promote voluntary indoor mask-wearing through an administrative order in January next year.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Lee Jang-woo, Mayor of Daejeon, reiterated his intention to lift the indoor mask mandate, subject to consultation with the government. At an expanded executive meeting, Mayor Lee emphasized, "I have consistently said that, based on the experience and awareness level of the people, the focus should be on voluntary quarantine."

Following Daejeon, Kim Tae-heum, Governor of Chungnam Province, also expressed his willingness to join the policy to lift the indoor mask mandate on the 5th, stating, "Among OECD countries, it seems that South Korea is the only country mandating indoor mask-wearing."

Regarding the question from the host, "Is it possible to lift the indoor mask mandate overall in January?" Chair Jeong responded, "I think it is possible by the end of January," adding, "(This outlook) is based on the indicators. I believe we should not be swayed by feelings, public opinion, or pressure. Looking at the indicators, I think the end of January is not impossible, so I say this."

However, Chair Jeong said in a briefing the day before, "Since confirmed cases and deaths are expected to increase, we should approach lifting the indoor mask mandate cautiously." He particularly argued that lifting the indoor mask mandate at this time is inappropriate as the winter vacation is approaching.

Chair Jeong explained, "It has already been scientifically proven that if masks are removed during the semester before the vacation, the number of patients increases dramatically. Influenza is occurring at a rate close to 40 per 1,000 among elementary and middle school students. Try holding classes without masks. Then teachers and children will get infected, not only with COVID-19 but also with the flu, so it should not be done before the vacation."

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