Even after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, people are still worried and wear masks - South Korean report

"My mother is elderly, so I wore a mask just to be safe," said Ms. Park (52), who had come to the hospital for outpatient treatment on the 2nd, as she tied the strings of her mask.
"I saw on the news that the requirement to wear masks inside the hospital had been lifted, but I'm worried about the health of my family at home, so I still wear a mask when I come to the hospital," Park explained.
On the 1st, the COVID-19 virus crisis level was lowered from "alert" to the lowest "concern" and the requirement to wear masks in hospitals was lifted.
For the first time in three years and six months, citizens are now able to completely remove their masks. However, some citizens still carry masks for hygiene reasons.
On that day, Seoul Sungmo Hospital in Seocho-gu, Seoul, was packed with patients and guardians wearing masks as they waited for treatment.
Despite the lifting of the mask mandate the day before, 8 out of 10 people were still wearing masks. Among hospital staff, 10 out of 10 were also not wearing masks.
A staff member at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, who helps with things like guiding visitors around the building, said, "Even though the mask requirement has been lifted, I can't take it off.
"I don't think there are that many people wearing masks," he said, explaining, "I could take my mask off, but for some reason I feel like patients are looking at me with disapproval, so I keep one on."
Most patients and guardians who wear masks say they are worried about their own or their family's health.
"We have to be even more careful because so many people are gathering together," he said, adding, "I'm worried that if I get the COVID-19 virus or a cold-like illness, I'll infect my children."
Noh, who was visiting the hospital with her mother, said, "They say that the COVID-19 virus is much less of a concern, but I'm still worried because if I do get infected, I'm very old," and added, "I feel uncomfortable wearing a mask."
"I told them to wear a mask, but they still told me to wear one," he said. Some patients were unaware that the requirement to wear a mask inside the hospital had been lifted.
"I came to the hospital and was surprised to see people not wearing masks," he said. "I went to the information desk and asked the staff, and they said I didn't need to wear a mask.
"I've been wearing a mask since I was in the hospital, so I haven't taken it off," he said. It's been 18 months and 15 months since the mask-wearing requirements for outdoors and indoors were lifted, respectively, but many people are still wearing masks.
Many citizens, especially those who work in jobs that require them to meet large numbers of people, said they wear masks out of habit.
62) "I always wear a mask because I don't know what kind of passengers I'll get on with," he said. "If the driver is wearing a mask, I think the passengers will feel more secure."
There were also a large number of citizens who used masks for purposes other than health and hygiene. People who want to hide their faces or avoid drawing attention to themselves, especially the younger generation, are said to be fond of wearing masks.
Ms. Song (33), who works at a food company in Tokyo, said, "I often wear a mask when I'm not feeling well or when it's difficult to put on makeup," and added, "When I'm not wearing a mask, it's hard to make facial expressions.
"But when I wear a mask, I can look natural," said Lee (26), a student at a university in Seoul. "When I wear a mask, I feel like I don't attract as much attention as other people.
"I think it's important to wear a mask because I don't want to attract attention from others," he said. Experts say masks have become a useful item since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professor Seo Yi-jeong of the Department of Sociology at Seoul National University said, "Since the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the spread of respiratory diseases has coincided with the spread of the virus, and the use of masks, which has been proven to be effective, has become a standard.
"The other side of it is that it has become a kind of fashion and social role," he explains.