Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric', The people who want you to believe the Ukraine war is fake, What we've learned from Alex Murdaugh murder trial. At one stage, masks were required even when exercising. Walensky said that a review of that requirement is ongoing and a decision will be made in the weeks ahead. Hong Kong is ending its mask mandate Wednesday, becoming one of the world's last cities to drop rules demanding face coverings. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. Accordingly, the CDC would no longer recommend that these communities insist on indoor masking. Almost 100,000 Filipino tourists arrived in Indonesia before the pandemic. Denmark became the first European country to lift the mask mandate. "None of us know what the future holds for us and for this virus," Walensky said. 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. "And we need to be prepared and we need to be ready for whatever comes next. 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. For impactful stories you just cant miss, By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy. 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. And because case counts remained high, the public health agency had stuck to its recommendation of indoor masking, including inside schools. Most previous work focused on mask mandates; we study the effect of mask wearing directly. 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. Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. Several other countries and territories in Asia have been rolling back COVID-19 restrictions as leaders look to shift to an endemic phase. 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. The population has fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as 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. Add your comment to start the conversation. 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. 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. All Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a high-quality mask inside of Federal buildings in areas The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. That compares with 77% for Singapore. Your email address will not be published. Sa Sa International Holdings Ltd., which sells beauty products, climbed as much as 6.4%. With mask mandates going away, is that helpful. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. "With the removal of the mandate, Hong Kong will return to normalcy," Mr Lee said on Tuesday. Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant. 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. 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. 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. Some criticised the rule's duration and its sudden scrapping - amid wider criticism of the city's pandemic policies for the past three years. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Although masks were not required in outdoor settings where social distancing was possible. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. Masks are still worn in several countries in Asia. However, the Malaysian government imposed key responses such as expanding its testing capacity for COVID-19. What are the CDC guidelines? There were almost 500,000 Filipino tourists who arrived in Singapore in 2022. The removal of the mask mandate may help stimulate interest in Hong Kong, along with the ticket giveaway. The new metrics will place the majority of the country in low to medium COVID-19 risk. 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. Additionally, Hong Kong's population shrunk dramatically during the Covid period. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. Japan has been one of the main travel destinations of Filipinos in the past years. South African Airways requires that children over 5 and adults must have a negative PCR test taken 72 hours prior to departure for all international flights, and must complete a "Traveler Health Questionnaire" on arrival, asking such things as, "Did you change your seat during the trip?". 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. As the COVID-19 situation improved, the Thai government lifted its mask mandate in 2022 and allowed bars and other night venues to operate for longer hours. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. - 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. Siddharth Sridhar, a clinical virologist at the University of Hong Kong, noted that when the virus began spreading in the city in early 2020, its residents almost universally wore masks, even before they became mandatory. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. Under previous rules, the CDC primarily considered COVID-19 case counts to determine risk. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. The strongest predictor of how the places did were vaccination rates. 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. Masking up is still a requirement with a number of airlines: Air France, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Pakistan International Airlines, South African Airways and Malaysian, to name a few. 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. 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. Subscribe To Our Daily Newsletter And Get News Delivered Straight To Your Inbox. 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. LinkedIn has officially entered its cringe era, and its working. Singapore has been lauded as highly effective in its management of containing COVID-19 with a very low number of cases from the virus. 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. Still, the new benchmarks could be used by local leaders, school boards and public health officials who are facing vastly different versions of the pandemic even within the same state. Video, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. (At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Hong Kongs mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. WATCH | Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? Health Secretary Chung-mau Lo said the government would recommend that people who are immunocompromised or have upper respiratory issues continue to wear masks. 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. Malaysia experienced two waves of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, but the political crisis doomed its COVID-19 response. However, masks will still be required in health care settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. 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. On Tuesday, Hong Kong recorded just 96 COVID-19 cases, according to Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection. But even as mask mandates for public transportation are debated and sometimes dropped many global health experts support them. 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. For the most part, people have followed the government's recommendations, and many private businesses require masks for customers. There will no longer be a need to wear a mask on Cathay Pacific flights or in its airport lounges. 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. But testing isn't 100% accurate and people aren't always 100% responsible for self-testing. MANILA, Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted all countries worldwide to impose lockdown measures and travel restrictions to avoid spreading the virus. Read more:Hong Kong announces further easing of COVID-19 curbs. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. 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 However, the situation is still in flux, with mandates often lifted or reinstated on a day-to-day basis as cases surge or wane in a given country or new COVID-19 variants emerge. 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. We use the largest wearing survey (n = 20 million) and obtain our estimates from regions across six (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 past three years of global isolation have weighed heavily on the citys economy and reputation. 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. On social media, many residents expressed elation and relief that the day of unmasking had "finally" come. 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. "After looking at all the data, the trends and the fact that the winter surge [of influenza] is nearing the end, in order to give people a very clear message that Hong Kong is resuming to normalcy, I think this is the right time to make the decision," Lee said. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for 945 days, people could be fined up to HK$5,000 (530; $640). Tourists along the promenade in the Tsim Sha Tsui area in Hong Kong, on Feb. 28, 2023. Checking with any international carrier before heading to the airport is still critical, says Wu. There are no comments yet. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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 mask can be the cheapest, simplest tool to protect you from infections in these situations.". South Korea ended its indoor mask rule on January 30, 2023, but still recommends wearing masks, including in public transportation. 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