Guidelines on Administrative Order for Mandatory Use of a Face Mask

○ Required to wear a face mask

- (Indoor) At all times

- (Outdoor) ❶When coming into contact with people at a gathering, meeting, event, or public assembly or

➋When there is a risk of coming into contact with people as it is difficult to maintain a distance of 2 meters from others

☞ However, those who do not wear a face mask at multi-use facilities with a high risk of transmission due to crowdedness and unspecified persons, and in places with vulnerable groups at high risk, will be subject to a fine of no more than KRW 100,000.

○ Not required to wear a face mask

- (Indoor) Alone in a separate space of home or private office, or with people living together (i.e. family members)

- (Outdoor) When it is possible to maintain 2 meter of physical distance from others at an open area (e.g. jogging, strolling at the park, etc.)

- (Others) When undertaking exercise or an activity and wearing a mask would negatively impact one’s ability to do so (e.g. eating, swimming/taking a bath, washing face/brushing teeth, hosting events, playing sports, etc.)

<Guidelines on the Imposition of Fines for Non-compliance with Administrative Order for Mandatory Mask-wearing>

○ Administrative order, types of violations subject to administrative fines and enforcement period

- (Legal basis) Article 83 (Administrative Fines) and Article 49 (Preventive Measures against Infectious Diseases) of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

- (Enforcement period) For the length of time required by the relevant administrative decision-makers (i.e. the Minister of Health and Welfare, the Commissioner of KCDC, and municipal governors; mayors, local governors) when Korea’s Crisis Alert Level is at “alert” and “serious”

- (Imposition of fines) Fines will be imposed from Nov. 13th 2020 after a month of guidance period (from Oct. 13th to Nov. 12th, 2020).

※ Anyone not complying with wearing a face mask will first be asked to wear one, but if he/she refuses, then the fine can be issued

- (Fines) No more than KRW 100,000 for violators, and KRW 3 million for managers/ business owners

(KRW 1.5 million on first violation, KRW 3 millions on second or more violations)

- (Authorized masks) Hygienic face masks (KF94, KF80, etc.), anti-droplet masks(KF-AD), surgical masks, fabric (cotton) masks, disposable masks

* Wearing a mesh or velve-type mask or covering the face with cloth, such as a scarf is not considered as wearing a mask.

- (How to wear a face mask) Wearing a face mask to completely cover the both your nose and mouth

* Not wearing or wearing without covering your nose and mouth will be considered as not wearing a face mask.

○ (Places for site inspection) ※ These are nationwide guidelines, but locally changeable in accordance with the circumstances created by COVID-19 pandemic (refer to local administrative orders).
Place		Subject
Priority/General management facilities ※ subject to change according to the level of social distancing		Administrators (owners) and users of the facilities that are defined according to the level of social distancing
Public transport		Users of public transportation, such as buses, subways, taxis, etc.
Assembly and public protest sites		Organizers (hosts) and users (participants) of indoor and outdoor assemblies and mass gathering events
Medical institutions		Administrators (employers) and users of medical institutions, such as hospitals and pharmacies
Nursing homes, day/night care centers		Administrators (managers) and staff who care for in-house patients and visitors of nursing homes and care centers
Religious facilities		Administrators (managers) and users of religious facilities
Indoor sports facilities		Administrators (managers) and users of indoor sports facilities
High risk businesses		Administrators (managers) and users of high-risk businesses (e.g. call centers, logistics centers)
Events or gatherings with greater than 500 attendees that are reported to and discussed with the local government		Organizers (hosts) and users (participants) of indoor and outdoor events or gatherings with greater than 500 attendees, that are reported to and discussed with the local government
* The term “user(s)” refers to all individuals who enter the place, including administrators, managers and employees.
○ (Exempted individuals and cases)
Individual	⦁Minors under 14 years old
	⦁People who cannot put on, wear or remove a face mask without help of others because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability
	⦁People who have medical conditions, which may cause trouble with breathing when wearing a face mask
Case	⦁When eating or drinking
	⦁When in the water (e.g. swimming pool, bathtub)
	⦁When practicing personal hygiene (e.g. washing face, brushing teeth)
	⦁When engaged in medical procedure (e.g. examination, surgery, treatment, administration)
	⦁When performing with exposed face (limited to on-stage performance), appearing on a show (only when the cameras are on, and when filming at a private place for personal broadcasting, such as making YouTube clips), taking pictures (limited to official photo shots such as at an event), or interpreting into sign language
	⦁When taking part in a sports game/contest (e.g. athletes), or a performance (e.g. musicians)
	⦁When getting married in a relevant place (e.g. groom, bride, parents)
	⦁When wearing a face mask may interfere with one’s ability to safely perform duties
	⦁When asked to remove a face mask for identification