The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. Thepopulationhas fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as residents fled for other cities. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. India Dot Com Private Limited. However, the Malaysian government imposed key responses such as expanding its testing capacity for COVID-19. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. All Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a high-quality mask inside of Federal buildings in areas 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. "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. Tourism numbers remain low. 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?". Anyone can read what you share. 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. Under previous rules, the CDC primarily considered COVID-19 case counts to determine risk. 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 "After looking at all the data, the trends People have beenrequiredto wear masks in all public places, including outdoors, from July 29, 2020. 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. Harrelson Hong Kong is one of the last cities globally to still have a mask mandate. Face masks must still be worn in closed spaces. In 2019, the US was home to more than four million Filipinos. The same thing has happened in some countries in Latin America: Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, for example. Philadelphia: Masks are currently required at the Philadelphia International Airport and in many of the citys indoor spaces, like restaurants, museums, sporting areas It, however, experienced a surge in April 2021. France only requires masks in health care facilities. We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when our levels are low, and then have the ability to reach for them again if things get worse in the future.". On social media, many residents expressed elation and relief that the day of unmasking had "finally" come. 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. 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. This year and the next year, we will focus on the economy and development.. As the world continues to live and adapt to the pandemic, several countries, including the Philippines, have lifted the face mask requirement. 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. 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. Heres where. "You must wear your mask at all times throughout the flight, except when eating or drinking," is Egyptair's position. Taiwan announced in February that it has lifted the indoor mask mandate and has eased other restrictions. Here is a list. According to Tourism Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino 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. Read about our approach to external linking. The states masking rule for businesses and workplaces expired on Feb. 11. Rappler.com. 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. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. 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 Japan has been one of the main travel destinations of Filipinos in the past years. 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. It also got the highest ranking in COVID-19 resilience by Bloomberg. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. Tourists along the promenade in the Tsim Sha Tsui area in Hong Kong, on Feb. 28, 2023. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. Vietnam made face masks compulsory for people to wear in public on March 16. Emirates Wants to Massively Expand its Operations in India By Adding 50,000 Seats Per Week. Hawaii An indoor mask mandate, the final statewide A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. Sign up here. Ky., Jan. 24, 2022. Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism. ", That's a position endorsed by Henry Wu, director of Emory TravelWell Center and an associate professor of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine: "Airports see the greatest influx of people around the world. Masks are still worn in several countries in Asia. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. People wear face masks in the MTR station, a day before government gets rid of the mask rule in Hong Kong, Feb. 28, 2023. The United Kingdom is home to an estimated 200,000 Filipinos. As of Wednesday, the city will no longer require people to wear masks indoors, outdoors or on public transportation. 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. A federal judge in Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Add your comment to start the conversation. hide caption. MANILA, Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted all countries worldwide to impose lockdown measures and travel restrictions to avoid spreading the virus. Cloth masks were deemed no longer acceptable, and people were required to wear medical-grade masks. 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. 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. 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. Places where social distancing is not followed. In Italy, face masks are no longer required in public places. The Hang Seng index fell 0.69% as Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee announced to drop its mask mandate starting March 1. In late January, South Korea rolled back face covering requirements for most indoor places. "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. We are witnessing the Great Unmasking, with masks mandates falling faster, even, than plummeting Omicron caseloads. Although masks were not required in outdoor settings where social distancing was possible. 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. 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. Before the pandemic, almost 500,000 Filipino travelers visited Thailand. The severe covid restrictions had a negative effect on Hong Kong's economy. 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 And because case counts remained high, the public health agency had stuck to its recommendation of indoor masking, including inside schools. However, masks must be worn at indoor places and public transport, where a vaccination pass is not needed. Coronavirus FAQ: I'm a one-way masker. 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. Miss a day, miss a lot. "With the removal of the mandate, Hong Kong will return to normalcy," Mr Lee said on Tuesday. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip, Ukraine war casts shadow over India's G20 ambitions, Record numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 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. 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. 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. The U.S. isn't the only country to have dropped mask requirements. With the improvement of the COVID-19 situation, Indonesia has scrapped indoor mask mandates and removed all the remaining restrictions when entering buildings in 2022. Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% in 2022, contracting for the third time in four years. Mask mandates stretching for years on end are going to run out of steam in terms of how effective they are, Dr. Sridhar said. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for - 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. The mask mandate for domestic U.S. flights has been lifted although it might come back. Many people have stopped wearing masks but others are still opting to keep theirs on. 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. All Rights Reserved. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. The city's gross domestic product fell by 3.5% last year. 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. The Hang Seng Tech index Researchers found city-level vaccine mandates to have, at most, a negligible effect on Compared to other countries, vaccinations in Japan have been slow to roll out to the public. Failing to comply with the rules could see authorities slapping a fine of up to $1,275 (HK$ 10,000). Malaysia experienced two waves of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, but the political crisis doomed its COVID-19 response. This other country in East Asia is also one of the major success stories in containing COVID-19 and has never experienced massive lockdowns like any other country. That compares with 77% for Singapore. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. South Korea is also one of the major tourist destinations of Filipinos with 450,000 Filipino visitors in 2017. 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Flight crews have been subject to even more demanding requirements than passengers in many places. Hong Kong was one of last places on Earth to mandate mask-wearing. "We know that also because children are relatively at lower risk from severe illness that schools can be safe places for children. Masks will still be required in health care settings. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. "We think this is the best timing to make this decision. 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 rules are changing yet again, this time on public transit. 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