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South Korea
AsiaEast Asia

South Korea joins Singapore, most of rest of world, in scrapping indoor mask mandate

  • South Korean PM Han Duk-soo said the lifting of face-covering rules will take effect on January 30, except on transport and in medical facilities
  • Singapore lifted its own indoor mask mandate in August. Japan never imposed one and no longer advises people to wear masks outdoors. And Hong Kong?

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People celebrate on New Year’s Eve in central Seoul. South Korea ended its outdoor mask mandate in September, but many people still choose to wear masks outside. Photo: AFP
Agencies
South Korea will drop its mask mandate for most indoor venues, as one of the last Asian countries to require coverings pivots to living with Covid-19.
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Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Friday that the lifting of face-covering rules will take effect on January 30, though a number of places will still require masks including care homes and hospitals, as well as on public transport.

“The daily number of new infections is continuing to decline and despite concerns over a spike in cases in China, the situation here is under control without major troubles,” the prime minister said during a Covid response meeting.

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Friday that the country plans to lift its mask mandate from January 30. Photo: EPA-EFE/Yonhap
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Friday that the country plans to lift its mask mandate from January 30. Photo: EPA-EFE/Yonhap

South Korea’s mask mandate had been in place since November 2020.

Elsewhere in the region, Singapore lifted its own indoor mask mandate in August last year, after first shedding outdoor masking from April as it transitioned to living with Covid-19.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday that the government was considering downgrading Covid-19 to a less serious infectious disease and relaxing its guidance that people wear masks indoors. The Japanese public was advised in May that face coverings were not needed outside if social distancing. Japan never imposed a mandate.
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Hong Kong, meanwhile, has made the wearing of masks mandatory – both indoors and outdoors – since July 2020, with police officers issuing HK$5,000 (US$639) on-the-spot fines to people who fail to comply. City officials said this week that they would stick with the mask mandate during winter. Though they are considering end the policy in March or April, according to reports.

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