The government is reportedly considering lifting the COVID-19 indoor mask mandate in two phases.

According to multiple quarantine and health authority sources on Sunday, the government is expected to lift mandatory mask-wearing in most locations, and only recommend their use, but keep the mandate for high-density locations or areas with people in high-risk groups.

The dual system could be enforced as early as mid-January, and then the mandate could be completely lifted at a future date, but related decisions would be affected by a number of indices, such as daily cases, hospital bed capacity, and the fatality rate, as they are being used to create a forecast model. The nation's advisory committee on infectious diseases is expected to discuss lifting the mandate on Monday afternoon.

Based on the discussions, the government is expected to announce the final adjustment on Friday.