Gov’t to lift indoor mask mandate if criteria are met

Dec 23, 2022, 08:22 am

		0
Ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Chung Jin-suk speaks at a policy consulting meeting between the party and the government at the National Assembly on Dec. 22, 2022./ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Kim Na-ri

The ruling People Power Party (PP) and the government decided Thursday to downgrade the indoor mask mandate to a recommendation if specific criteria are met. However, the mandate will remain in place at high-risk facilities like sanatoriums, hospitals, pharmacies, and social welfare facilities.

The party and the government held a policy consulting meeting on lifting the indoor mask mandate at the National Assembly.

“Health authorities reported on their plan to lift the indoor mask mandate and change it to a recommendation if certain criteria are met,” Rep. Sung Il-jong, the chief policymaker of the ruling PPP, said in a briefing. “The mandate will remain in place at high-risk facilities like sanatoriums, hospitals, pharmacies and social welfare facilities.”

“The PPP asked the government to lift the mask mandate in a bolder manner in consideration of suggestions from experts that if is okay to take off masks, and to meet the people’s desire to take off masks as early as possible,” Sung said.

“Even if new infections increase after the mask mandate is changed to a recommendation, we delivered experts’ opinion to the government that it can be lifted because we have sufficient medical facilities and health workers,” he said. “We also conveyed experts’ opinion that a mandatory quarantine period for infected people should be shortened to three days from a week.”

Based on the party-government discussions, the government plans to announce the new guidelines on Friday.

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said the government will draw up scientific, reasonable guidelines for the policy change.

#indoor mask mandate #lift #South Korea