Today, 'Indoor Mask Mandate Lift' Adjustment Plan Announced... Specific Criteria Expected to Be Presented

Mandatory to Recommended Adjustment Likely Except for Medical Institutions

Jung Jin-seok, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is attending the indoor mask mandate lifting party-government meeting held at the National Assembly on the 22nd and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The government will finalize and announce the indoor mask mandate adjustment plan on the 23rd.

The adjustment plan, which will be announced after the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the morning of the same day, is expected to include changing the indoor mask-wearing mandate to a 'recommendation,' except for medical institutions, social welfare facilities, and public transportation.

However, it is uncertain whether a specific date for lifting the mandate will be presented. At the party-government consultation meeting held the previous day, it was reported that the lifting date would be determined based on specific criteria considering the quarantine situation. Accordingly, the adjustment plan is expected to be announced by presenting certain criteria rather than specifying an exact date.

Since the beginning of this month, the government has actively engaged in discussions on adjusting the indoor mask mandate and has gathered opinions through expert forums. Considerations included the increased inconvenience to the public from nearly three years of mask-wearing, the significant negative impact on children's language development, and the fact that the antibody retention rate has reached about 97% through infection and vaccination.

However, the recent winter resurgence of COVID-19 is expected to be a variable. The number of confirmed cases and critically ill patients is on the rise, and the additional winter vaccinations are not increasing easily, which is a cause for concern.

Along with the indoor mask mandate, discussions are also expected regarding the seven-day isolation requirement for confirmed cases. The ruling party proposed reducing the isolation period to three days at the party-government consultation meeting the previous day, but the quarantine authorities are still taking a cautious stance.

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