Masks must be worn at medical institutions, pharmacies, facilities vulnerable to infection, and public transportation.
Maintain masks in apartment and department store elevators
Kindergarten, school, academy, etc. ‘No Mask’… School vehicles are ‘masks’
From the 30th, there is no need to wear a mask indoors, except for some facilities such as public transportation, hospitals, and facilities vulnerable to infection. It means that wearing a mask will change from ‘mandatory’ to ‘recommended’. It has been 2 years and 3 months since the mandatory mask wearing was introduced in October 2020, centering on multi-use facilities (the penalty was imposed in November 2020).
Pre-orders for COVID-19 vaccination for infants and toddlers from 6 months to 4 years old will also start on the 30th. Same-day vaccination by contacting a medical institution to register on the list and getting the vaccine is from the 13th of next month, and reservation vaccination through online or phone reservations is from the 20th of next month.
According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 29th, the government-level mandatory mask-wearing measure due to COVID-19 quarantine measures will be converted to ‘recommendation’ from the 30th, following 27 months. This is the first step in adjusting the so-called indoor mask compulsory adjustment. Wearing masks at schools, kindergartens, daycare centers, senior citizen centers, gyms, and swimming pools is voluntary.
Although the obligation to wear masks indoors and outdoors has been lifted in principle, the obligation remains only in some places. Even within the same building, the obligation disappears in private space, but in the public sector, confusion is inevitable for the time being as it is divided, such as having to use it. Therefore, it is necessary for workers in related institutions to know where they are obliged to wear them if they are related to entry and exit.
The obligation to wear indoor masks is maintained at medical institutions, pharmacies, facilities vulnerable to infection, and public transportation. Facilities vulnerable to infection are nursing hospitals, long-term care institutions, mental health institutions with closed wards, mental care facilities, mental rehabilitation facilities, and welfare facilities for the disabled. Wearing an indoor mask remains compulsory only at the facility. The rest of the non-entry facilities will be lifted from wearing masks.
Even within infected facilities or medical institutions, residents (users) do not need to enter, such as office buildings, research buildings, and dormitories, and they do not have to wear masks in areas that are divided by building or floor. There is no duty when a person is alone in a single hospital room or when a medical institution worker is alone in a divided space such as a private office.
You do not need to wear a mask even when you are with cohabitants (inpatients/residents sharing shared bedrooms/wards, resident caregivers, resident guardians) in private spaces such as bedrooms or hospital rooms in facilities vulnerable to infection. In addition, if you are in a public space or with outsiders, you must wear a mask.
Public transportation includes public transportation according to the Public Transportation Act and transportation according to the Passenger Vehicle Act. Specifically, it includes route buses, railways, urban railways, passenger ships, pilots, chartered buses, special buses, passenger cars, general taxis, private taxis, and aircraft. The scope of chartered buses includes all vehicles operated for the purpose of commuting to work or school, regardless of whether there is a transportation contract or not.
All pharmacies remain obligated to wear them. If you are a pharmacy in a large mart, you must wear it inside the pharmacy area, not in the passageway inside the mart. Apartments and department stores are not compulsory facilities, but masks are required in elevators.
In kindergartens, schools, and academies, the obligation to wear a mask will be removed. However, it is mandatory to wear a mask in the commuter vehicle, which is equivalent to public transportation.
In addition, targets subject to fines for not wearing indoor masks can be added by local government. It is necessary to check as the mandatory indoor mask-wearing facilities may differ from region to region. To prevent confusion, the quarantine authorities recommended that mask-wearing quarantine guidelines be posted at mask-wearing facilities.
Meanwhile, from the 30th, vaccination using Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for infants will be implemented from next month. The target of vaccination is infants and toddlers from 6 months to 4 years old. This ranges from infants born in July 2022 whose birthday has passed to infants born in 2018 whose birthday has not passed. Vaccination is strongly recommended for high-risk infants and toddlers with compromised immunity or underlying diseases. Primary vaccination for infants and toddlers is given three times at intervals of 8 weeks (56 days).
Vaccination once morest COVID-19 in infants and toddlers is done at regarding 1,000 consignment medical institutions capable of treating infants and dealing with emergencies. From the 30th, you can check the institutions that can be vaccinated on the Corona 19 vaccination site. As high-risk infants and toddlers are the main targets for vaccination, they can be vaccinated at tertiary general hospitals and general hospitals they use. When inoculating infants and young children, a guardian or legal representative must accompany them.
Reporter Hana Kim Hankyung.com [email protected]
