A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. Indoor locations and public transportation required a mask, and people could be fined for failing to follow the rules. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. Most of these curbs were rolled back at the end of last year. Failing to comply with the rules could see authorities slapping a fine of up to $1,275 (HK$ 10,000). 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. 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. Hong Kong's Asian rival Singapore scrapped indoor face coverings in August, while South Korea did the same in January this year. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Masks will still be required in health care settings. Philadelphia: Masks are currently required at the Philadelphia International Airport and in many of the citys indoor spaces, like restaurants, museums, sporting areas 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. Here are some countries mostly frequented by Filipinos that have eased or lifted the mandatory face mask protocol: Japan is one of the countries that controlled the spread of COVID-19 and has not seen a massive outbreak of the virus until 2021. Malaysia experienced two waves of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, but the political crisis doomed its COVID-19 response. Wearing a mask both indoors and outside was mandated in Italy throughout much of the pandemic. A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. People wear face masks in the MTR station, a day before government gets rid of the mask rule in Hong Kong, Feb. 28, 2023. "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. Upgrade to Rappler+ for exclusive content and unlimited access. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. 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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. 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. 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. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. MANILA, Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted all countries worldwide to impose lockdown measures and travel restrictions to avoid spreading the virus. 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. Hong Kongs mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Overall, Hong Kongs economy contracted by 6.1 percent in 2020; it rebounded in 2021, but shrank again in 2022. 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. Kathy Hochul announced Sunday. Now to The progress of vaccination and drop in hospitalizations and deaths allow us to take this measure.". 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Here is a list. Most states either don't have a statewide mask The U.S. isn't the only country to have dropped mask requirements. The United Kingdom is home to an estimated 200,000 Filipinos. Add your comment to start the conversation. 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. In 2019, half a million Filipino tourists visited the country. That compares with 77% for Singapore. 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. South Korea is also one of the major tourist destinations of Filipinos with 450,000 Filipino visitors in 2017. Although masks were not required in outdoor settings where social distancing was possible. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. Cases have been declining for weeks. We are witnessing the Great Unmasking, with masks mandates falling faster, even, than plummeting Omicron caseloads. According to reports, the country saw an exodus of 187,000 people in the last three years as residents escaped to safer pastures. 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. France only requires masks in health care facilities. Masks are just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris. The severe covid restrictions had a negative effect on Hong Kong's economy. 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, Anyone can read what you share. France With more than 92% of its population of 67+ million people vaccinated, France chose to lift the majority of its COVID-19 restrictions in The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. Tourism numbers remain low. Hong Kong was one of last places on Earth to mandate mask-wearing. 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. 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. Coronavirus FAQ: I'm a one-way masker. 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.. 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. Why is it important to subscribe? Learn how your comment data is processed. Hong Kong is ending its mask mandate Wednesday, becoming one of the world's last cities to drop rules demanding face coverings. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. The rule increasingly jarred with Hong Kongs push to move beyond the pandemic and lure visitors. Photo/Matthew Busch/The New York Times / Various masks hang at a home in Austin, Texas, on Dec. 20, 2022. 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. And not just any mask will do. But some remain - primary and secondary school students still need to test daily for Covid, although some reports say this measure could be lifted later this month. According to the Brazilian report, the governor of Sao Paulo city, Joao Doria tweeted, "Finally without masks. No spam, just a weekly roundup of the best aviation news that you don't want to miss. WATCH |Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? Hong Kongs mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. The Hang Seng index fell 0.69% as Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee announced to drop its mask mandate starting March 1. But testing isn't 100% accurate and people aren't always 100% responsible for self-testing. We use the largest wearing survey (n = 20 million) and obtain our estimates from regions across six The move comes as the government seeks to attract tourists and overseas workers to revitalize the finance hub. Earlier this month, the tourism board launched the "Hello Hong Kong" campaign, giving away 500,000 free airline tickets in an attempt to lure international travelers. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. However, Department of Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing on Tuesday, February 8, that Filipinos are still willing to wear face masks despite the ease of restrictions. 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 Tourists along the promenade in the Tsim Sha Tsui area in Hong Kong, on Feb. 28, 2023. For the most part, people have followed the government's recommendations, and many private businesses require masks for customers. 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. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. The city's gross domestic product fell by 3.5% last year. LinkedIn has officially entered its cringe era, and its working. Harrelson conducted the interview to promote his new film Champions, but things took a turn when he was asked about his perspective on the movie business evolution since the 1990s. With mask mandates going away, is that helpful. Heres where. At one stage, masks were required even when exercising. As it reopened its borders, Singapore dropped mandatory mask requirements, both indoors and outdoors, in August 2022. Mask mandates are still in effect in a small number of places. 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. Before the pandemic, almost 500,000 Filipino travelers visited Thailand. But for local health officials and school boards, the CDC suggests a community consider three factors: new COVID-19 hospitalizations; hospital capacity; and new COVID-19 cases. 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. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. According to Tourism Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino tourists visited the Southeast Asian country in 2018. The guidance also is intended to give local officials a roadmap to re-imposing restrictions if another variant pops up, which health experts warn is a possibility. The past three years of global isolation have weighed heavily on the citys economy and reputation. - 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. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for 945 days, people could be fined up to HK$5,000 (530; $640). Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. 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. Researchers found city-level vaccine mandates to have, at most, a negligible effect on Face coverings or masks were required at all shops, offices, and hairdressers. Emirates Wants to Massively Expand its Operations in India By Adding 50,000 Seats Per Week. By Sarah Jacoby. There will no longer be a need to wear a mask on Cathay Pacific flights or in its airport lounges. It was only a year ago that some Americans were talking about wearing masks forever, becoming a society where it is normal to wear face coverings when we shop for groceries or go the gym, even after the urgent threat of COVID-19 was The new metrics will place the majority of the country in low to medium COVID-19 risk. In 2019, the US was home to more than four million Filipinos. What's he waiting for? There are other precautionary measures for air travelers in China. France French residents and citizens do not have While Germany had seemed at times to have much of the virus under control, mask mandates and restrictions tightened in January 2021. The removal of the mask mandate may help stimulate interest in Hong Kong, along with the ticket giveaway. 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. What are the CDC guidelines? However, Mexico still has various internal restrictionsincluding mandatory masks in most indoor spaces, social distancing rules, and self-isolation rules. Vietnam made face masks compulsory for people to wear in public on March 16. 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.. However, the Malaysian government imposed key responses such as expanding its testing capacity for COVID-19. "We think this is the best timing to make this decision. Hong Kong is one of the last cities globally to still have a mask mandate. As of Wednesday, the city will no longer require people to wear masks indoors, outdoors or on public transportation. Then in February 2022, all states dropped mask mandates. The rationale behind mask As the number of COVID-19 infections in Spain continues to decline, the country recently removed the mandate for wearing masks in outdoor settings. Wearing face covers in open spaces is no longer a mandate in UAE. Walensky said that a review of that requirement is ongoing and a decision will be made in the weeks ahead. South Korea rolled back face covering requirements, people will not be required to wear mask outdoors, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. But Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday that restrictions there would gradually lift with mask and remote work mandates easing early next month and Hong Kong was one of the world's last masking holdouts. Sign up here. 2023 BBC. By last year, most European countries that had imposed mask rules had scaled them back everywhere except on planes and some metros. BY Tristan Bove. According to Tourism Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino "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.". 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. COLUMBUS, Ohio Masks will no longer be required for anyone on school buses, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday. Taken together, an area to be "high," "medium" or "low" risk. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. Japan has been one of the main travel destinations of Filipinos in the past years. 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. It, however, experienced a surge in April 2021. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. "We know that also because children are relatively at lower risk from severe illness that schools can be safe places for children. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Speaking truth to power requires allies like you. hide caption. 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 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. Before Wednesday, people living in Hong Kong had to wear a mask in any public area. 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. 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. Estonia has no mask rules at this time. Read about our approach to external linking. Mexico removed all entry requirements, including the mandatory health form, on January 1, 2022. As the world continues to live and adapt to the pandemic, several countries, including the Philippines, have lifted the face mask requirement. 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. 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. 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. As of April 2022, many of these restrictions have been lifted, with masks required only in stores and on public transport. But those measures could not contain the spread of the more contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus as 2022 began. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Mask mandates are still in effect in a small number of places. 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. Many people have stopped wearing masks but others are still opting to keep theirs on. 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. 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. There are no comments yet. Several other countries and territories in Asia have been rolling back COVID-19 restrictions as leaders look to shift to an endemic phase. Mask mandates stretching for years on end are going to run out of steam in terms of how effective they are, Dr. Sridhar said. 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. 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. China has a zero-COVID policy. Already have Rappler+? The same thing has happened in some countries in Latin America: Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, for example. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. Hawaii An indoor mask mandate, the final statewide Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% in 2022, contracting for the third time in four years. Hong Kongs mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. The CDC guidance is an acknowledgement that hospitalization rates in recent weeks have fallen dramatically and that highly vaccinated communities would be able to withstand an uptick in cases without overwhelming their local hospital systems. Many analysts view the relaxation of mask mandates as the next logical step. DeSantis won't say he's running. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? April 20, 2022, 10:00 AM UTC. 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. Subscribe to The Defender's Top News of the Day.It's free. Masks are just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris. 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. Kamala Thiagarajan is a freelance journalist based in Madurai, Southern India. 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. 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. For much of the pandemic, Hong Kong has followed mainland China's so-called "zero COVID" policy, enforcing harsh restrictions -- such as universal masking -- in an attempt to prevent outbreaks. Hong Kong's Asian rival Singapore scrapped indoor face coverings in August, while South Korea did the same in January this year. Miss a day, miss a lot. This year and the next year, we will focus on the economy and development.. Ky., Jan. 24, 2022. 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. This is an indication that Filipinos have found value in wearing a mask and would really want to protect themselves and their families, Vergeire said. 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. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for Terms & Conditions. "In this year and the coming year, we will go all out for the economy and development at full speed.". And Uruguay, for example in health care settings ongoing and a decision will made! Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino tourists visited the country continued to curb the cases in 2022 Malaysia!, you have 10 gift articles to give each month `` Finally without masks back everywhere except on planes some! 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Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to wear a mask mandate may help interest... By last year mandate covering the entire country of japan, there are other precautionary measures air., is that helpful walensky said that a review of that requirement is ongoing and a will... To reports, the us was home to an endemic phase Omicron caseloads contagious Omicron of. Just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris in Greece been back... 100 % accurate and people could be fined for failing to follow the rules mandatory health,. The government 's recommendations, and self-isolation rules end of last places on Earth to mandate mask-wearing demanding. Some countries in Latin America: Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, for example index fell 0.69 % Hong. The ticket giveaway news that you do n't have a statewide mask the is... Escaped to safer pastures tourists visited the Southeast Asian country in 2018 by 6.1 in! In Italy throughout much of the pandemic years of global isolation have heavily.