Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo says the government will seek  to tighten regulations on wearing masks when using public transportation, stressing it is the most important rule in containing COVID-19. 

During a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on Monday, Park said the government will seek to not only make it mandatory to wear masks on public transit, but to restrict passengers if they are not wearing them. 

His remarks come as Seoul, Incheon and Daegu have issued an administrative order that makes wearing masks mandatory when using public transportation or public facilities.  

The minister emphasized that each and every single person’s cooperation is key to blocking infections in communities from spreading to schools.  

Later this week, some two-point-four million students are set to go back to school, including first and second graders in elementary school and kindergartners.