Tourists along the promenade in the Tsim Sha Tsui area in Hong Kong, on Feb. 28, 2023. Sign up here. As part of its Hello Hong Kong campaign, the city is giving away more thanhalf a millionairline tickets starting from Wednesday. Flight crews have been subject to even more demanding requirements than passengers in many places. 2022. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. At least now tourists dont have to worry about being fined for not wearing a mask in the street, said Pamela Mak, president of Hong Kong Small and Medium Enterprises Association. 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 Masks are For the most part, people have followed the government's recommendations, and many private businesses require masks for customers. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. Places where social distancing is not followed. The Hang Seng index fell 0.69% as Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee announced to drop its mask mandate starting March 1. WATCH | Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? Rappler.com. While mask mandates and restrictions had started to relax in China in late 2021, the Omicron variant caused a resurgence in both COVID-19 cases and the addendant restrictions that accompany them in early 2022. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks during a Senate hearing on the COVID-19 response, March 18, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. 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Although Hong Kong seemed like an outlier with its far-reaching mask mandate, there are still a number of countries that require masks onboard public transport and on commercial aircraft. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for 945 days, people could be fined up to HK$5,000 (530; $640). Feb. 28, 2022, 12:34 PM PST / Updated April 21, 2022, 6:15 AM PDT. Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% in 2022, contracting for the third time in four years. Hong Kong will end its mask mandate for indoors and outdoors on Wednesday, March 1 its Chief Executive John Lee said in a briefing. Under the mandate, which took effect in July 2020, people who failed to wear masks in public could be fined about $635. 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Hong Kong's Asian rival Singapore scrapped indoor face coverings in August, while South Korea did the same in January this year. "People who wear a high-quality mask are well-protected, even if others around you are not masking," Massetti said. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. 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. Masks will no longer be needed outdoors, indoors or on public transport, Hong Kong leader John Lee told reporters on Tuesday. The controls, which changed frequently and with little warning, came at a heavy cost to residents and contributed to an exodus from the city. Thepopulationhas fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as residents fled for other cities. In 2019, half a million Filipino tourists visited the country. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. 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. Masks are just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris. In 2022, there were 126,900 Filipinos who visited the country. The National Authority for Emergency, Crisis, and Disaster Management (NCEMA) has announced face covers to be optional. 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. In India, for example, the Ministry of Civil Aviation set regulations as of May 2020 that all flight crew were required to be in PPE a full protective body suit, (similar to the kind medical professionals wear) with masks, gloves and face shield. Which other countries have lifted the mask mandate? She reports on global health, science, and development, and her work has been published in the New York Times, The British Medical Journal, BBC, The Guardian and other outlets. Hong Kong will stop requiring masks to be worn in public places from Wednesday, drawing to a close the prolonged Covid era that damaged its economy and standing in the world. The Japanese government has said it will ease mask-wearing guidelines on 13 March, recommending masks only on trains and buses during rush hour, or where public transportation is particularly congested. The majority of the country would now be considered low-to-medium risk. Many countries have also implemented mask mandates in fact, more than the number of countries that have imposed vaccine mandates. Anyone can read what you share. The progress of vaccination and drop in hospitalizations and deaths allow us to take this measure.". Overall, Hong Kongs economy contracted by 6.1 percent in 2020; it rebounded in 2021, but shrank again in 2022. Updated: 11:07 PM EST February 25, 2022. Evidence shows that the coronavirus is under control in Hong Kong, without major signs of rebound, Chief Executive John Lee said at a news briefing. Miss a day, miss a lot. Vietnam is cited as one of the success stories in its fight against COVID-19 and has fared better economically than many other countries. 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. Although Cathay Pacific is free to enforce its own mandate, the airline has chosen to follow the lead of the Hong Kong government and lift masking rules from March 1. Taiwan announced in February that it has lifted the indoor mask mandate and has eased other restrictions. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. El Salvador no longer requires masks in public spaces. Masks are still worn in several countries in Asia. Checking with any international carrier before heading to the airport is still critical, says Wu. The US is one of the countries severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic during the early stages of the outbreak with a recorded 103 million cases. Switzerland removed its indoor mask mandate on February 17, 2022. Here is a list. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. However, as the vaccination rate increased and the country gained confidence in its health care network's ability to combat the virus, restrictions have been gradually eased. As of April 2022, the emergence of COVID-19 vaccinnes (as well as increased availability of treatment) has enabled many countries to relax their mask mandates. Hong Kong will stop requiring masks to be worn in public places from Wednesday, drawing to a close the prolonged Covid era that damaged its economy and standing in the world. Mask mandates stretching for years on end are going to run out of steam in terms of how effective they are, Dr. Sridhar said. Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines. ", What Countries Require Masks in Public or Recommend Masks? Most previous work focused on mask mandates; we study the effect of mask wearing directly. Masks will no longer be needed outdoors, indoors or on public transport in Hong Kong Photograph:(Reuters). Although many indoor mask mandates are implemented at the city and county level, six states still have mandates in place: California, Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, LinkedIn has officially entered its cringe era, and its working. Despite relaxing border rules late last year, Hong Kongs government had been reluctant to lift the mask mandate amidst calls from various medical professionals to keep the mandate in force for the foreseeable future. Always keeping an ear close to the ground, Matt's industry insights, analysis and news coverage is frequently relied upon by some of the biggest names in journalism. However, government officials have explicitly stated that plans could change as new data and/or disease cases emerge. "With the removal of the mandate, Hong Kong will return to normalcy," Mr Lee said on Tuesday. In February, the Japanese government announced that on March 13, it will start to ease restrictions on mask-wearing including in public transportation and schools. 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. The new guidance recommends that people who are at high-risk of COVID-19 complications should talk to their doctor about how to stay safe in a community that might have moderate risk levels. Mask mandates are still in effect in a small number of places. She also noted that people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to it should continue to mask, regardless of what risk-level their community has. Hong Kong was one of last places on Earth to mandate mask-wearing. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. Wearing a mask both indoors and outside was mandated in Italy throughout much of the pandemic. These interventions made travel safer and possible, especially for senior citizens during the pandemic, says Toole, who is age 75. "Persons with a medical condition who cannot wear a face mask or cannot wear it safely due to the medical condition must send a medical certificate or the MEDIF form through our Contact Form at least 48 hours before the scheduled flight.". According to the Brazilian report, the governor of Sao Paulo city, Joao Doria tweeted, "Finally without masks. The rule increasingly jarred with Hong Kongs push to move beyond the pandemic and lure visitors. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. S&P Index data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. Before Wednesday, people living in Hong Kong had to wear a mask in any public area. And not just any mask will do. 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. Mexico removed all entry requirements, including the mandatory health form, on January 1, 2022. Mask requirements may be a thing of the Read more:Hong Kong's population declines for a third consecutive year; Chinese influence to be blamed, China spending billions on spreading disinformation about Ukraine war, says US special envoy, 'Hello Hong Kong' mission kicks off with half a million free air tickets on offer, Zero to 100 in under 5 minutes: Redmi unveils 300W fastest charger. There were almost 500,000 Filipino tourists who arrived in Singapore in 2022. Thailand was able to keep the number of COVID-19 cases low in the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 due to its early lockdown and effective contact tracing strategy. England has lifted the legal mandate on face coverings. While mask rules vary by park, they are still required on all forms of enclosed public transportation, the NPS noted. More than 70% of Americans should be able to remove their masks indoors, including inside schools, under new metrics outlined Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that represent a seismic shift in how the public health agency plans to measure COVID-19 risk. Hungary no longer requires masks anywhere. 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. 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. But as the pandemic situation continued to get better, the US government announced in 2022 that wearing face masks will no longer be mandatory. At one stage, masks were required even when exercising. 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.. A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. (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). In 2022, the country lifted the mandatory face mask and relaxed rules of wearing it in public places. The U.S. isn't the only country to have dropped mask requirements. The only exception is for children under 2 years of age and between 2 and 11 years old, for whom there is flexibility in the use of the mask. Health Secretary Chung-mau Lo said the government would recommend that people who are immunocompromised or have upper respiratory issues continue to wear masks. "After looking at all the data, the trends Schools were closed for months on end, residents of nursing homes were denied visitors, and restaurants and bars saw their hours restricted or had to shut entirely. Instead of heavily relying on the number of COVID-19 cases to gauge mask effectiveness, the CDC is assessing local hospital capacity and rate of hospitalisation to formulate key measures in the USA. The rule was first enforced on July 29, 2020, and directed individuals to wear masks in all public places. In January, passenger volumes at the Norman Foster-designed airport were a third of the level four years earlier. After long 959 days or three years, the city of Hong Kong has finally bid adieu to the controversial COVID-19 mask mandate that was brought in to prevent the spread of the virus. According to reports, the country saw an exodus of 187,000 people in the last three years as residents escaped to safer pastures. It, however, still recommends wearing face masks indoors, and in public transportation, including airplanes and trains. The new metrics will place the majority of the country in low to medium COVID-19 risk. South Korea is also one of the major tourist destinations of Filipinos with 450,000 Filipino visitors in 2017. "We think this is the best timing to make this decision. Although Hong Kong seemed like an outlier with its far-reaching mask mandate, there are still a number of countries that require masks onboard public transport and on commercial aircraft. With mask mandates going away, is that helpful. With the removal of the mask mandate, Hong Kong will return to normal all around, and in this year and the coming year will go all out for the economy and development at full speed, Mr. Lee said. No spam, just a weekly roundup of the best aviation news that you don't want to miss. Under previous rules, the CDC primarily considered COVID-19 case counts to determine risk. Although there is no legal mask mandate covering the entire country of Japan, there are strong recommendations to wear a mask in public. Masks have never been mandatory in Japan, but most people have been wearing them. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public 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. Vietnam made face masks compulsory for people to wear in public on March 16. Under the new metrics, more than half of U.S. counties, which make up about three-fourths of where Americans live, are now considered to be at "low" or "medium" risk because of a reduced number of new COVID-19 hospitalizations and adequate hospital space. "It's not a good time to drop the interventions that we know have been effective. 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