S. Korea to decide on indoor mask mandate by end of this month

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, Dec. 7(Yonhap) -- The government will decide whether to lift the indoor mask mandate by the end of this month, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Wednesday.

The mandate is the last remaining COVID-19 restriction South Korea has kept in place following the scrapping of all other distancing rules.

"(The government) will come up with the final plan by the end of this month after discussing ways to adjust (indoor) mask mandate rules,"" Lee said during a government virus response meeting.

The move comes as a series of local governments, including the central city of Daejeon and South Chungcheong Province, announced their plans to drop the facial covering mandate.

Lee highlighted the importance of maintaining a single quarantine system, citing lingering concerns over a surge in winter.

The country reported 74,714 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, staying above 70,000 for the second consecutive day, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.

khj@yna.co.kr
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