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Discussions have been going on over whether to keep wearing masks indoors, but the health authorities will announce specific plans tomorrow (23rd).

As a result of our coverage, it was confirmed that masks are still mandatory in subways and hospitals, and instead, masks are recommended instead of mandatory in schools and restaurants.



Cho Dong-chan, a medical reporter, covered the story.



<Reporter> The



ruling party ordered the health authorities to ease the indoor mask duty as soon as possible.



[Sung Il-jong / Chairman of the People's Power Policy Committee: (In the script) I ordered the government to release the mask more boldly and quickly.]



The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters will announce the roadmap tomorrow.



As a result of SBS coverage, hospitals and nursing facilities maintain their duties, but most living facilities such as schools, restaurants, and marts change to recommendations.



Controversial public transportation remains mandatory.



The ruling party ordered the quarantine period to be shortened when confirmed.



[Sung Il-jong/Chairman of the People's Power Policy Committee: We also conveyed the opinions of experts who said that the quarantine period should be unified for 3 days (like medical staff)



.



This is because of the opinion of the advisory group that Korea is dangerous because of its high population density.



As a result of the Agency for Disease Control and Prevention's investigation of 34 countries, 11 countries had an obligation to quarantine for 7 days like we do, and 23 countries had an obligation to quarantine within 5 days or not.



The time to change the indoor mask obligation to a recommendation is expected to be around the Lunar New Year, when the spread of Corona 19 is calculated to subside.



However, the recent spread has accelerated, and in particular, the average number of deaths per day per week has also changed to an upward trend, which can be a variable.



It is also concerning that BN.1 mutations that evade existing immunity have exceeded 20% in Korea.



One in six new infections in the last week is reinfection.



[Lim Sook-young/Chief of Sanghwal Headquarters, Central Defense Headquarters (21st): We believe that the spread of BN.1 has some effect on the current epidemic trend.]



The quarantine authorities believe that increasing the vaccination rate of the modified bivalent vaccine in the high-risk group is effective. He said it was a countermeasure.



(Video coverage: Kim Nam-seong, Video editing: Lee Jae-seong, CG: Jeon Yoo-geun, Park Jeong-kwon, Kang Kyung-rim)