Hong Kongs mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. 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Harrelson What are the CDC guidelines? Wearing a mask both indoors and outside was mandated in Italy throughout much of the pandemic. Many countries have also implemented mask mandates in fact, more than the number of countries that have imposed vaccine mandates. Hong Kongs leader said on Tuesday that the city All Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a high-quality mask inside of Federal buildings in areas The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. Visitors wearing protective face masks walk under decorations for the New Year at Nakamise Street leading to Senso-ji Temple at the Asakusa district, in Tokyo on January 9, 2023. The airline is, however, aware that many Hong Kongers may feel nervous about being around unmasked passengers or crew members for long periods in these cases, the airline has asked nervous passengers not to fly until they feel comfortable around unmasked seatmates. Then in February 2022, all states dropped mask mandates. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. Hong Kong will end its mask mandate for indoors and outdoors on Wednesday, March 1 its Chief Executive John Lee said in a briefing. Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. In recent days, officials announced that visitors to hospitals and nursing homes would no longer have to show PCR test results, and that starting in March, students would not be required to take daily rapid antigen tests before attending school. And there are still some inflight announcements about infection prevention for instance, reminding passengers not to touch their face, In China and other countries you'll also need medical documents in order to fly. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. The updated guidance comes after weeks of pressure from governors and state officials who asked for a clear roadmap at the national level. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. Two new studies on the effectiveness of mask mandates and city-level COVID-19 vaccine mandates concluded the policies failed to achieve their promised objectives.. While most countries across the globe opened up in a phased manner with the majority relaxing the mask mandate much earlier, Hong Kong continued to follow the line set by Beijing. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for It still poses an ongoing risk of international spread and requires coordinated international response so we are still in a public health emergency of international concern. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. Based on that risk level, which could fluctuate, a community could opt to remove mask recommendations indoors or pull back on other mitigation measures, such as surveillance testing. Wearing face covers in open spaces is no longer a mandate in UAE. The one for schools expired on March 1. Several other countries and territories in Asia have been rolling back COVID-19 restrictions as leaders look to shift to an endemic phase. Vietnam logged more than 100,000 Filipino visitors prior to the pandemic. "It's not a good time to drop the interventions that we know have been effective. Almost 100,000 Filipino tourists arrived in Indonesia before the pandemic. Already have Rappler+? And because case counts remained high, the public health agency had stuck to its recommendation of indoor masking, including inside schools. While most countries across the globe opened up in a phased manner with the majority relaxing the mask mandate much earlier, Hong Kong continued to follow the line set by Beijing. A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. But even as mask mandates for public transportation are debated and sometimes dropped many global health experts support them. "With the masking requirement removed, we are starting to resume to normalcy comprehensively and that will be very beneficial to the economic development, our international competitiveness, as well as our activities which involve everyone in Hong Kong," Lee said. In fact, he thinks masking is more important than ever because governments may be relying on people to be responsible, self-test and not fly if they test positive for COVID. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had, earlier last week, released new guidelines suggesting that 70 percent of Americans no longer needed to wear masks and needn't avoid crowded spaces. A sign on the door of a coffee shop in Manhattan ask for proof of vaccination and the wearing of a mask on the day that a mask mandate went into effect in New York Hong Kongs leader said on Tuesday that the city would lift its mask mandate, one of the last such policies in the world, effectively ending what had been one of the pandemics strictest Covid regimes. But testing isn't 100% accurate and people aren't always 100% responsible for self-testing. "We look forward to a better tomorrow, which is the 1st of March so that we can all put a smile on our faces say, 'Hello, Hong Kong,'" he said, according to Hong Kong Free Press. "You must wear your mask at all times throughout the flight, except when eating or drinking," is Egyptair's position. The Hang Seng Tech index meanwhile, fell 1.42%. The move will come into effect from March 1 and suggests that the administration is looking to restore some semblance of normalcy. As it reopened its borders, Singapore dropped mandatory mask requirements, both indoors and outdoors, in August 2022. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. As of Wednesday, the city will no longer require people to wear masks indoors, outdoors or on public transportation. Masks will still be required in health care settings. Macau, the nearby gambling hub, which like Hong Kong is a Chinese territory, ended its outdoor mask mandate on Monday. Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines. In the same month, further easing of the city's social distancing rules was announced and the previously mandatory negative COVID-19 RAT ( rapid antigen test) result requirement was also scrapped. In a statement, the airline said it will respect anyones decision to choose whether to wear a mask or not after the mandate was finally lifted on Wednesday after more than 950 days. Read more:Hong Kong announces further easing of COVID-19 curbs. In February, Spain became the last country in Europe to drop its airplane mask mandate, while Japan will only relax mask recommendations from March 13. Next month will see Hong Kong host the biggest series of international events since often-violent protests in 2019shut downmuch of the city, including a music festival, Art Basel and the Rugby Sevens tournament. El Salvador no longer requires masks in public spaces. However, the government has suggested that face coverings be worn in: France has stated that face masks would no longer be compulsory in public places that require vaccination passes. Under the mandate, which took effect in July 2020, people who failed to wear masks in public could be fined about $635. The rule is enforceable byfinesof up to HK$10,000 ($1,275), with police regularly handing out HK$5,000 penalties on the spot for transgressors. On Tuesday, Hong Kong recorded just 96 COVID-19 cases, according to Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection. According to Tourism Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino The government has stated it will review its rules on outdoor mask wearing after a two-week trial period, which would place the decision sometime in early May 2022, but added that indoor mask requirements would be "unavoidable for a considerable time. Walensky said that a review of that requirement is ongoing and a decision will be made in the weeks ahead. Your email address will not be published. People deserve choice in terms of how they are protecting themselves, and they have been doing this since the very first days of the pandemic, and they are going to continue to do that., Hong Kong, One of Worlds Last Holdouts, Ends Its Mask Mandate, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/27/world/asia/hong-kong-mask-mandate.html. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. ABC News' Britt Clennett contributed to this report. Malaysia experienced two waves of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, but the political crisis doomed its COVID-19 response. Almost 70 percent of the population in the USA are in areas of low or medium risk. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Hong Kong is ending its mask mandate Wednesday, becoming one of the world's last cities to drop rules demanding face coverings. For business its a game changer, said Allan Zeman, chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Holdings Ltd. Before, a lot of people would stay away from Hong Kong because the mask was showing that we were still stuck in the Covid days.. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice| Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information| Ad Choices In addition to masks, passengers are asked to bring their own gloves as an optional additional precautionary measure. As the number of COVID-19 infections in Spain continues to decline, the country recently removed the mandate for wearing masks in outdoor settings. Now, Berlin and Brandenburg are the first of Germany's 16 federal states considering a reintroduction of mandatory masks for indoor public spaces, at least in retail. Although masks were not required in outdoor settings where social distancing was possible. - Masks4All, Europe Travel: No Masks Needed In These EU Countries - Forbes, Countries That Have Removed All Internal Covid Restrictions - Travel Off Path, Some countries in Latin America end face mask rules - AA. South Korea ended its indoor mask rule on January 30, 2023, but still recommends wearing masks, including in public transportation. Although there is no legal mask mandate covering the entire country of Japan, there are strong recommendations to wear a mask in public. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. According to the Brazilian report, the governor of Sao Paulo city, Joao Doria tweeted, "Finally without masks. MANILA, Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted all countries worldwide to impose lockdown measures and travel restrictions to avoid spreading the virus. "With the removal of the mandate, Hong Kong will return to normalcy," Mr Lee said on Tuesday. He added that while well-fitting masks were highly effective in hospital settings, they were often removed in crowded restaurants and at home, limiting the protection they provided when community transmission was widespread. But Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday that restrictions there would gradually lift with mask and remote work mandates easing early next month and The U.S. isn't the only country to have dropped mask requirements. The population has fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. China has a zero-COVID policy. Mask mandates are still in effect in a small number of places. The new metrics will place the majority of the country in low to medium COVID-19 risk. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for 945 days, people could be fined up to HK$5,000 (530; $640). The only places where masks are still required include hospitals and public transit. The city's gross domestic product fell by 3.5% last year. Thepopulationhas fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as residents fled for other cities. The controls, which changed frequently and with little warning, came at a heavy cost to residents and contributed to an exodus from the city. Iceland Iceland was one of the first countries in 2022 to remove all their internal covid-related restrictions, as well as their entry requirements, returning to a pre-pandemic normal. "And we need to be prepared and we need to be ready for whatever comes next. The progress of vaccination and drop in hospitalizations and deaths allow us to take this measure.". In a press conference on April 20, the director of the Pan American Health Organization, Dr. Carissa Etienne, noted: "The WHO's emergency committee last week declared that the COVID health pandemic still constitutes an extraordinary event that continues to adversely affect the health of populations around the world. Heres where. All Rights Reserved. New York state's school masking mandate will be lifted Wednesday, Gov. While Germany had seemed at times to have much of the virus under control, mask mandates and restrictions tightened in January 2021. China's airlines have become a bit less strict than in the early days of the pandemic when in-flight announcements would urge passengers not to chitchat during the flight. hide caption. France only requires masks in health care facilities. Denmark became the first European country to lift the mask mandate. Coronavirus FAQ: I'm a one-way masker. WATCH |Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? Mask mandates stretching for years on end are going to run out of steam in terms of how effective they are, Dr. Sridhar said. But in the wake of the plummeting numbers and the soaring pandemic fatigue throughout the country, 49 states have announced plans to end their indoor mask mandates. It, however, still recommends wearing face masks indoors, and in public transportation, including airplanes and trains. Hong Kongs mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. After much criticism, the Hong Kong authorities in December last year decided to lift its contentious "amber code," which forced residents to use an app to enter any venue. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, most of the world's countries mandated the use of surgical-type masks in an effort to slow the spread of the disease. Hong Kong largely avoided mass outbreaks in the first two years of the pandemic by imposing tight border controls and social distancing policies, in an attempt to bring its caseload as close to zero as possible. Global isolation meant that the tourism industry was completely wrecked and the economy of Asia's financial hub shrank by 3.5 per cent in 2022. The Hang Seng index fell 0.69% as Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee announced to drop its mask mandate starting March 1. 2023 BBC. Mall landlords Wharf Real Estate Investment Co. and New World Development Co. rose more than 1.4%. While the updated guidance drops the recommendation of universal masking in schools, the CDC said it is still reviewing a federal requirement that individuals wear masks on public transportation, including on airplanes. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The majority of the country would now be considered low-to-medium risk. April 20, 2022, 10:00 AM UTC. 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In the end, the government gave little more than a days notice that the mandate would be scrapped seemingly in response to a similar policy shift from the autonomous region of Macau which is also able to set various policies independently of Beijing. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. Masks have never been mandatory in Japan, but most people have been wearing them. Ky., Jan. 24, 2022. Mask mandates are still in effect in a small number of places. In 2022, the country lifted the mandatory face mask and relaxed rules of wearing it in public places. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. As of April 2022, masks are required to be worn at all times when leaving the home, mandatory testing and quarantine centers have been reopened, and many schools and non-essential businesses have been temporarily closed again. Hong Kong is one of the last cities globally to still have a mask mandate. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Once a saver, always a saver: Warren Buffett says generational wealth isnt what it used to be in his annual letter Its bigger than the housing crisis: An influential economist just blamed NIMBYs for American decline, and Elon Musk CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Japan has been one of the main travel destinations of Filipinos in the past years. (The authorities see gloves as a deterrent to infection even though the value of gloves as a pandemic measure has been debated and basically debunked). Other Covid curbs in Hong Kong included strict quarantine rules, limitations on the number of people gathering in public places, as well as restricting visitors in nursing homes. Heres where. Hong Kong has largely followed mainland China's lead in efforts to tackle the virus, including attempts to eliminate it with a "zero-Covid" strategy. 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