Photo credits: https://www.pexels.com/ko-kr/photo/4197564/
On January 30th, the Korean government announced the cancellation of mandatory indoor masking except for medical institutions and public transportation. As the obligation to wear a mask indoors has been converted to suasion, most students in George Mason University Korea follow practices of de-masking. Still, there are a few students who still wear masks in their daily lives. To figure out the opinions of Mason Korea students, The Voice of Mason Korea conducted interviews with three students, Erin Myung (GMUK, Computer Game Design, ’26), Hyunki Ryu (GMUK, Conflict Analysis and Resolution,’26), and Hobin Mun(GMUK, Global Affairs, ’25).
According to the interview, there are students who do not wear masks these days due to the convenience of not wearing them. They stated that taking off masks became a habit after the demasking policy. Erin Myung mentioned that demasking will strengthen the immune system which helps to overcome COVID-19. There is also a student who still wears a mask frequently.“There are still many people who think that masks are mandatory as well as notices encouraging them to wear masks in public transportation or hospitals. Considering such a social situation, I still wear my masks frequently,” Hobin Mun said.
The interviewees felt some benefits after the cancellation of indoor masking. They became more comfortable breathing without the interruption of masks. They also stated that people can connect better with direct and clear facial expressions compared to the masking era. Based on the responses, better communication with people has been made with precise sounds when not blocked by masks. “After the cancellation of indoor masking, I [She] could listen to my [her] professor’s lecture more clearly,” Erin Myung added.
On the other hand, there are a few side effects or anxiety issues regarding the de-masking policy. In terms of a psychological aspect, the students experienced hesitation in taking off masks. “People often can’t recognize peoples’ faces without masks even though they knew each other when they are wearing them. Such cases made me[him] hesitate to demask at first,” Hyunki Ryu said. A mention of health issues also came up. "Air is not that clean indoors. Although there are machines such as air purifiers that purify the air, such air is very harmful to human skin,” Hobin Mun mentioned.
Since the risk and fear of COVID-19 have greatly reduced compared to before, masks are not usually used for the prevention of the disease nowadays. Considering the situation, the students are recommended to utilize masks to block yellow dust or fine dust which is common in Korea, especially in the current season. As for the current de-masking system, students mostly felt that it is appropriate because it guarantees the freedom of people regarding wearing masks or not. “I [She] think the current system is the best. People cannot keep their masks forever,” Erin Myung added. However, there is a contrary opinion as well. Hobin Mun stated that citizens are already not wearing masks before the revised masking system, which is not effective in terms of timing.
Then what kind of improvement can be made in the current de-masking system? One pointed out its efficiency. “I think it is most efficient to make them wear masks or take them off completely, not a partial implementation. If people must wear them in hospitals or public transportation and take them off outdoors, it can be confusing for them,” Hobin Mun said. Along with the masking system, another student also suggested reconsideration of a quarantine policy, especially for traveling abroad. “When I[He] went on a trip to Hong Kong, I [He] felt frustrated because there was no clear and guided quarantine policy to follow. Each country’s government should guarantee people’s freedom to conduct quarantine or not,” Hyunki Ryu stated.
According to the interview, students have different and varying opinions on wearing masks and the current masking system including its benefits and side effects. Thanks to vaccination and response policies toward COVID-19, figures of infection have been reduced significantly with lower recognition of the virus.
Even though our lives have become more comfortable than in the past, we should wear masks in the necessary circumstances: contact with a high-risk/confirmed group of COVID-19, or when we are in a dense space with a lot of people talking. The Voice of Mason Korea looks forward to using masks in more diverse and helpful ways like blocking fine dust or preventing a cold, not limited to dealing with COVID-19, just like the interviewees mentioned.
Written by Seohyun Kim | Staff Writer
Revised by Soram Hong|Managing Editor
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