[사회]New patients feel again, can the inner mask be removed?

[앵커]

Corona 19 patients are continuing the rise again, posting the highest number in 13 weeks as of Monday.

Quarantine authorities, who have agreed to decide by the end of the year when to lift the indoor mask requirement, are deepening their concerns.

This was reported by journalist Ki Jeong-hoon.

[기자]

At 0:00, there were approximately 25,000 new corona patients19.

As of Monday, it’s the highest in 13 weeks.

The number of seriously ill patients also shows no signs of decreasing, holding the level of 400 for nearly a month.

As the increase continues, the issue of easing indoor mask requirements is becoming a “hot potato” for quarantine authorities.

Seeing the number of patients increase, it is difficult to solve it quickly, but it is also difficult to continue to force it.

Local governments like Daejeon and Chungnam are stepping up to fix it, and the same is true when looking at foreign cases.

Most OECD countries have lifted the requirement to wear masks indoors, with the exception of hospitals and social care facilities.

Even in Taiwan, which lifted the outdoor mask requirement later than other countries, it is not mandatory in private workplaces.

Officially, Egypt, which maintains masking obligations inside and out, hasn’t cracked down at all, so it’s practically no different from easing it.

In 10 countries, including the US, UK, France, Denmark and Hungary, there is no requirement to wear a mask.

The government thinks the release date is between January and March next year.

It is a plan to establish the criteria and timing for the release taking into account the evolution of the epidemic and the bivalent vaccination rate, so there is a possibility that it will be slightly delayed if the increase continues.

Experts point out that even if most indoor mask duties are lifted, facilities with a high risk of infection should continue to wear masks.

[정재훈 / 가천의대 교수 : 실내마스크 의무가 해제된다고 하더라도, 모든 시설에서 완전히 해제된다는 의미는 아니고요. 의료시설이라든지 사회복지시설, 대중교통 같은 곳들에서는 마스크 착용 의무가 법적인 의무로 여전히 존재할 가능성이 매우 높습니다.]

While the government has set to finalize standards for the issuance of masks indoors during this month, the first debate to discuss the standards will be held this Thursday.

This is YTN Ki Jeong-hoon.

YTN Gi Jeong-hoon

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