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The government has announced that from early next year, wearing masks indoors will be recommended or voluntary rather than mandatory.

It is expected that it will be applied next month at the earliest and around March at the latest, but the key is the resurgence of the corona.



This is reporter Shin Yong-sik's report.



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The direction of measures to alleviate the obligation to wear indoor masks suggested by the health authorities is 'recommendation' or 'voluntary wearing'.



It means that the current 100,000 won fine will not be imposed and will be left to autonomy.



[Kwon Byeong-gi/Bang Dae-bon Quarantine Support Head: When looking at the cases of major overseas countries, medical facilities, social welfare facilities, and some public transportation, mainly in these cases (indoor masks are compulsory)] Restaurants,



cafes , Living facilities such as schools will remove the obligation to wear them, but medical facilities and social welfare facilities will be maintained, and public transportation will be decided through discussions with the committee.



It was decided to apply it when the peak of this 7th epidemic is broken and patients with severe symptoms stabilize. It was originally expected to be in January, but it may be delayed to March.



This is because the trend of increasing corona expansion, which has been somewhat slow, is getting steep again.



Another variable is that the number of flu patients who can consume corona beds is increasing, and the number of adolescent flu patients is 58.1 per 1,000, a three-fold increase from a month ago.



The government has made it possible for adolescents over the age of 12 to receive the modified 2-valent vaccine from next week.



Teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 who have received an existing vaccine or who have been infected for more than 3 months are eligible. Moderna products are under review for youth approval, so only Pfizer BA.1 and BA.4/5 can be fit.



The quarantine authorities said that it is most urgent to increase the improved vaccination rate for high-risk groups, and extended the winter intensive vaccination period for people over the age of 60 and members of facilities vulnerable to infection until the end of this year.