The government has said that if it scraps an outdoor mask mandate, there will no longer be any legal penalties when taking off masks within two meters of others.

In an online briefing on Thursday, the Central Disease Control Headquarters said lifting the outdoor mask requirement implies the elimination of the distancing rule between people.

Currently, people not wearing a mask outdoors may face fines unless they are more than two meters away from others in their vicinity.

The headquarters noted that even if the outdoor mask mandate is lifted, masks will still be required indoors.

Authorities believe that doing away with indoor mask-wearing is premature due to crowded conditions on public transit and the use of air-conditioning in enclosed spaces in the summer.

The government said earlier that it will decide whether to lift mask-wearing outdoors after observing viral status for two weeks. A decision is expected towards the end of next week.