Offers may be subject to change without notice. In South Korea, for instance, they are still required on public transportation, as well as in hospitals and pharmacies. Already have Rappler+? Photo/Matthew Busch/The New York Times / Various masks hang at a home in Austin, Texas, on Dec. 20, 2022. South Korea ended its indoor mask rule on January 30, 2023, but still recommends wearing masks, including in public transportation. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions. 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. The removal of the mask mandate may help stimulate interest in Hong Kong, along with the ticket giveaway. But in mid-March the rules were revised; PPEs are no longer required for cabin crew onboard. However, after China dropped several of its stringent policies in December 2022 and Hong Kong followed suit, it led to a surge of cases not seen since March 2022, according to Our World in Data, which uses data from Johns Hopkins University. Additionally, Hong Kong's population shrunk dramatically during the Covid period. We find that population mask wearing notably reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission (mean mask-wearing levels corresponding to a 19% decrease in R). 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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. The National Authority for Emergency, Crisis, and Disaster Management (NCEMA) has announced face covers to be optional. This year and the next year, we will focus on the economy and development.. Despite its proximity to China, the epicenter of COVID-19, Taiwan has been praised for its highly effective COVID-19 response, having had only less than 500 cases in the first few months of the pandemic. Your email address will not be published. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 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. The Omicron surge in late 2021/early 2022 convinced several prefectures to institute restrictions on some businesses, especially bars and eateries, but those restrictions have since been lifted. 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 A child acting as hallway monitor watches as children move about a hallway wearing COVID-19 protective masks at Carter Traditional Elementary School in Louisville, Ky., Jan. 24, 2022. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. While Germany had seemed at times to have much of the virus under control, mask mandates and restrictions tightened in January 2021. In a press conference Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee said residents and tourists will not be required to wear masks indoors, outdoors or on public transportation for the first time in nearly three years. Taken together, an area to be "high," "medium" or "low" risk. "We know that also because children are relatively at lower risk from severe illness that schools can be safe places for children. Hong Kongs mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. unlikely to reach the United States market anytime soon, will end its aggressive but contentious vaccine mandate. This move seeks to relax public health measures for economic and social activities. Starting Wednesday, people in Hong Kong will no longer be required to wear masks indoors, outdoors or on public transportation, though facilities like hospitals and nursing homes can still require them, Mr. Lee said. Passengers are required to wear medical surgical, KN95 or N95 masks from the time of check-in at the airport through the duration of the flight and until you leave the airport. All Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a high-quality mask inside of Federal buildings in areas For impactful stories you just cant miss, By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy. Hong Kong has lifted its mask mandate, marking an end to one of the world's longest-running Covid restrictions. The rule was first enforced on July 29, 2020, and directed individuals to wear masks in all public places. 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. When asked why it dropped its universal masking recommendation for schools, the CDC said the lower risk of serious COVID-19 illness in kids was a factor. Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? People have beenrequiredto wear masks in all public places, including outdoors, from July 29, 2020. Venezuela was among the first countries to impose the mandatory use of face masks in public back in March. But that approach didn't take into account that vaccinations are now widely available to people over age 5 and that most vaccinated people who tested positive during the omicron and delta waves experienced mostly mild symptoms that did not require hospitalization. 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.. "None of us know what the future holds for us and for this virus," Walensky said. 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. Hong Kong to scrap almost all its Covid rules, Hong Kong shortens Covid hotel quarantine, Station master arrested after dozens killed in Greece train crash, Survivors describe 'nightmarish seconds' as trains crashed, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Speaking truth to power requires allies like you. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% in 2022, contracting for the third time in four years. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. (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). The Hang Seng Tech index They still use shields and gloves. And not just any mask will do. All Rights Reserved. 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. No spam, just a weekly roundup of the best aviation news that you don't want to miss. The only places where masks are still required include hospitals and public transit. A requirement to wear masks outdoors in public spaces was lifted in February 2022, and the government is expected to lift most or all remaining mask requirements and other COVID-related restrictions by mid-June 2022. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for Hong Kongs mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. Face coverings or masks were required at all shops, offices, and hairdressers. 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. If those risk factors climbed, putting a community at "high" risk, the CDC recommends that a community urges its residents to return to masks and step up other precautions. In Italy, face masks are no longer required in public places. Face masks must still be worn in closed spaces. Sa Sa International Holdings Ltd., which sells beauty products, climbed as much as 6.4%. Switzerland removed its indoor mask mandate on February 17, 2022. ABC News' Britt Clennett contributed to this report. As part of its Hello Hong Kong campaign, the city is giving away more thanhalf a millionairline tickets starting from Wednesday. 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 With more than 92% of its population of 67+ million people vaccinated, France chose to lift the majority of its COVID-19 restrictions in March 2022. Matt is passionate about the aviation industry and has become an expert in passenger experience and human-centric stories. Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines. What are the CDC guidelines? South Korea is also one of the major tourist destinations of Filipinos with 450,000 Filipino visitors in 2017. Anyone can read what you share. 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. The controls, which changed frequently and with little warning, came at a heavy cost to residents and contributed to an exodus from the city. However, government officials have explicitly stated that plans could change as new data and/or disease cases emerge. Terms & Conditions. By last year, most European countries that had imposed mask rules had scaled them back everywhere except on planes and some metros. Accordingly, the CDC now says individuals at high-risk of COVID-19 complications should consider taking precautions, such as avoiding crowds and wearing a high-quality mask. And because case counts remained high, the public health agency had stuck to its recommendation of indoor masking, including inside schools. The omicron wave, which infected a vast majority of the country, also boosted the nation's immunity from prior infection for the timebeing. The same thing has happened in some countries in Latin America: Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, 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. But even as mask mandates for public transportation are debated and sometimes dropped many global health experts support them. Indoor venues, such as casinos, can set requirements at their discretion. But testing isn't 100% accurate and people aren't always 100% responsible for self-testing. Because the truth is worth it.). A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. As it reopened its borders, Singapore dropped mandatory mask requirements, both indoors and outdoors, in August 2022. Mexico removed all entry requirements, including the mandatory health form, on January 1, 2022. Kathy Hochul announced Sunday. As of Wednesday, the city will no longer require people to wear masks indoors, outdoors or on public transportation. 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. Video, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story, Ed Sheeran says wife developed tumour in pregnancy, Covid origin likely China lab incident - FBI chief, Bieber cancels remaining Justice world tour dates, Ruling party wins Nigeria's presidential election, Uranium particles enriched to 83.7% found in Iran, Finland starts construction of Russia border fence, Trump lashes out at Murdoch over vote fraud case, Daily walk prevents one in 10 early deaths - study, Pictures show devastation after Greece train disaster. Everyone can show their smiles and say, Hello, Hong Kong, he said, repeating the citys new tourism slogan. The rule increasingly jarred with Hong Kongs push to move beyond the pandemic and lure visitors. Sign up here. LATAM airline, based in Santiago, Chile, has a lengthy mask dissertation: "No passenger may board the aircraft without a mask, or without its proper use. And so for that reason, we're recommending that schools use the same guidance that we are recommending in general community settings, which is that we're recommending people where a mask in high levels of COVID-19" risk, said Dr. Greta Massetti, a senior CDC official. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. April 20, 2022, 10:00 AM UTC. Kamala Thiagarajan is a freelance journalist based in Madurai, Southern India. 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. By Sarah Jacoby. 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. Hong Kongs tough Covid controls, which until last year also included limits on group gatherings, flight bans and long hotel quarantines, were criticized by business leaders and others, who said they were needlessly damaging peoples livelihoods, as well as the citys status as a finance center and a tourist destination. Mask mandates are still in effect in a small number of places. In 2019, the US was home to more than four million Filipinos. Subscribe To Our Daily Newsletter And Get News Delivered Straight To Your Inbox. England has lifted the legal mandate on face coverings. Hong Kong had dropped most other pandemic restrictions by earlier this year. The new recommendations are a major change in how the federal government is approaching pandemic guidance. Hoping to revive tourism, the city recently announced plans to give away half a million plane tickets to foreign visitors, and the authorities have continued to roll back the remaining restrictions. The Hang Seng index fell 0.69% as Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee announced to drop its mask mandate starting March 1. China has a zero-COVID policy. Under Cap 599I Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation, the government legislation that covers the mandate, residents have been Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% in 2022, contracting for the third time in four years. "We think this is the best timing to make this decision. Many countries have also implemented mask mandates in fact, more than the number of countries that have imposed vaccine mandates. "In this year and the coming year, we will go all out for the economy and development at full speed.". Flight crews have been subject to even more demanding requirements than passengers in many places. But like Mr. Lee, he said the end of the mandate signified a return to normalcy. 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. Japan has been one of the main travel destinations of Filipinos in the past years. 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. Philadelphia: Masks are currently required at the Philadelphia International Airport and in many of the citys indoor spaces, like restaurants, museums, sporting areas According to Tourism Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino SIGHTSEEING SPOT. Under the mandate, which took effect in July 2020, people who failed to wear masks in public could be fined about $635. LinkedIn has officially entered its cringe era, and its working. 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. The strongest predictor of how the places did were vaccination rates. Vietnam logged more than 100,000 Filipino visitors prior to the pandemic. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. Estonia has no mask rules at this time. Hong Kong was one of last places on Earth to mandate mask-wearing. Nevertheless, face masks should still be worn in: As the number of COVID-19 infections in Spain continues to decline, the country recently removed the mandate for wearing masks in outdoor settings. 3. 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. "It's not a good time to drop the interventions that we know have been effective. In 2022, the country lifted the mandatory face mask and relaxed rules of wearing it in public places. 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 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. Harrelson Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. 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. The one for schools expired on March 1. 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. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. 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