From January 30th, the mandatory wearing of masks has been changed to advisory in most indoor spaces.
It's been 2 years and 3 months since October 13, 2020.
Following the abolition of social distancing last year and the lifting of the mandatory outdoor mask, it is another turning point on the way to daily recovery, but the atmosphere is calmer than expected.
Yesterday (30th) and today, even in places where wearing a mask is not compulsory, it is difficult to find people who take it off, and even they say, "I took off the mask, so I took it off, but I wore it all except me", "somewhat embarrassing".
why don't you take it off
There are many reasons to keep wearing a mask.
I write it for my family because the family I live with is a high-risk group, and I write it because I am anxious about people who have not yet been confirmed by Corona.
Some people say that wearing a mask is warm, while others say that it is because everyone else is using it.
I'm not completely naked yet, but I have to carry a mask, so there are not a few people who continue to wear it rather than just carrying it around.
The obligation to wear a mask has been maintained not only in medical institutions, pharmacies, and facilities vulnerable to infection, but also in public transportation, and even in places where wearing is not mandatory, people wear it voluntarily in so-called 'three-cylinder environments' where it is difficult to maintain sufficient distance due to crowding in a small space. It is desirable to do so, so it is correct to carry a mask for a while.
This is the part we have to endure until Corona 19 is completely endemic.
However, there are so many exceptions to the mask guidelines of the health authorities and there are so many people who say that it is convenient to just wear them all the time.
Why are mask guidelines so confusing?
explain a bit more
For those of you who find the mask guidelines confusing, I fully understand.
As a reporter who wrote the 8:00 News Report by collecting confusing points on the day the guidelines were announced, I am well aware of the confusion when I first encountered them.
However, if you compare it to the guidelines when they were first introduced in October 2020, you can see that they have been greatly simplified.
At that time, in addition to public transportation, medical institutions, and facilities vulnerable to infection, masks were also required to be worn in religious facilities, indoor sports stadiums, high-risk workplaces, entertainment facilities such as clubs, wedding halls and funeral halls, PC rooms, academies, and restaurants of a certain size or larger.
The list was so compact that it was difficult to remember where to wear a mask.
Even that changed every time the level of distancing was adjusted, adding to the confusion.
If you look closely at these instructions, they aren't that complicated.
Masks were required to be worn in places where there are many high-risk groups, such as medical institutions, pharmacies, and facilities vulnerable to infection, and mask obligations were maintained only in public transportation where a 'three-cylinder environment' is often created.
If you think about the purpose of maintaining the mask duty, it will become a little clearer where to use it.
Immediately after the guidelines came out, the health authorities and the media explained to clarify the confusing point, and it is true that the cryptic point was highlighted as I wrote the article again, but you only need to remember the above purpose.
one more step... when to take it off
This question has two meanings.
When will I naturally take it off where it is not currently an obligation?
And when will all obligations disappear and I will be able to go around safely without a mask?
Jeong Ki-seok, head of the Corona 19 Special Response Team, said at a briefing on the 30th that the remaining mask wearing obligation would be lifted in May.
May is a time of note in many aspects related to COVID-19.
It's cold anymore, so you don't have to wear a mask, and the risk of corona is low during the season.
April or May is also likely to be the end of the 'Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)', which the World Health Organization once again extended.
When spring comes and the temperature rises, the number of people who take off masks in everyday spaces will gradually increase, and when the obligation disappears completely, only those who really want to wear masks at the moment they need it.
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