The day when you can take off your mask indoors, '0:00 on the 30th' is likely

<Anchor>

Today (17th), the quarantine authorities held an advisory committee to determine when the indoor mask duty due to corona will be lifted.

Although the specific timing was not decided, a plan to start at 0:00 on the 30th, about a week after the Lunar New Year holiday, was strongly discussed.

Cho Dong-chan is a medical journalist.

<Reporter> The

advisory committee of the quarantine authorities decided to announce the timing of indoor mask relaxation on the 20th, but the implementation date has not been concluded.

Regarding the specific relief date, three plans were intensively discussed: 0:00 on the 25th and 30th, right after the Lunar New Year holiday, and 0:00 on the 6th of the following month, and officials from the advisory committee predicted that 0:00 on the 30th would be the most likely.

After the announcement, the opinion that implementation too late could hurt the public's feelings, and on the contrary, the view that quarantine for the Lunar New Year holiday would be loosened was seen as being decided at the midpoint.

The domestic corona situation met the conditions for relieving indoor masks for three weeks in a row, but the quarantine authorities diagnosed it as an endemic, endemic disease.

The Chinese variable was also optimistic.

Recently, an international research team analyzed that 50% of the population of Beijing and Sichuan, China, and 90% of the population of Henan, China, were cumulatively infected and had passed the peak.

In addition, South Korea decided to conduct PCR tests for travelers arriving from China by the end of February, which made it even safer.

[Jeong Ki-seok/Corona 19 Special Response Team: Hong Kong, Taiwan around Korea, especially the United States, etc., all of these places have now turned to a very low epidemic, so it is a very positive factor in determining our country's quarantine policy in the future.] The

quarantine authorities are wearing indoor masks .

Even if the vaccine is mitigated, it is revealed that vaccination of high-risk groups will continue to be recommended.

(Video coverage: Park Young-il, video editing: Shin Se-eun, CG: Jo Soo-in)

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<Anchor>

Jo Dong-chan, a medical reporter, is here.

[Cho Dong-chan/Medical reporter (specialist): This is because the opinions of the advisory committee members are different.

Even after seeing the same domestic data, it is said that the opinion that the mask should be removed quickly, no, and that it should be maintained a little longer is fiercely opposed today.

However, since the scientific indicators are appearing closer to the expectations of corona optimism, there are three days left until the announcement, but it seems that it may be discussed more in the direction of solving it faster than the 30 days expected in the report.]

[Cho Dong-chan/Medical reporter (specialist): In fact, it would be best to announce on the 20th that it will be relieved immediately.

It's like a festival.

However, it is said that this opinion was excluded from the advisory committee today.

On the surface, the reason was that the Lunar New Year holiday was burdensome and required a period of preparation.

Also, if the number of patients surged even though the mask was relaxed, there would have been concerns about the responsibility.]

[Cho Dong-chan/Medical reporter (specialist): What I was surprised by this coverage was that a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, not a doctor, was active in relieving indoor masks, while an outside doctor expert was very passive.

It must be because experts have been responsible for quarantine in the meantime.

However, I would like you to consider that endemic is a time to share quarantine responsibilities with the general public.]