Gimpo International Airport in Seoul is crowded with people wearing masks on April 29, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 17 (Korea Bizwire) – While fewer people now think that COVID-19 poses a risk to individuals and society, lifting the outdoor mask mandate is still seen as an premature decision, a poll showed Monday.
A research team led by Prof. Yoo Myung-soon of Seoul National University’s graduate school of public health conducted a nationwide survey of 1,018 men and women, 39.8 percent of whom believed that the coronavirus has taken a severe toll on the country, the lowest since January 2020.
Among the respondents, 42.5 percent said that the pandemic has had an ‘average’ impact on society while 17.7 percent said the pandemic isn’t a problem anymore.
Among those who had been infected with COVID-19, 36.8 percent believed there is a high chance of getting infected with the disease and 33.8 percent believed that infection would bring about ‘severe’ consequences (33.8 percent), indicating a minor difference between the two responses.
In contrast, among those who had not been infected with the virus, only 14.8 percent believed there is a high chance of getting infected with the disease while 42 percent believed that infection would engender ‘severe’ consequences, showing a major difference between the two responses.
Asked about the outdoor mask mandate being lifted, 40.3 percent said the risk and benefits are ‘pretty much on the same level’, followed by those who believed that the risks outweigh the benefits (34 percent) and those who believe that the potential benefits are greater than the risk (21.7 percent).
“With most social distancing measures being lifted, many are worried about indoor mask rules being lifted as well,” Yoo said.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
