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 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. Hong Kongs leader said on Tuesday that the city 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 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. Mask mandates are still in effect in a small number of places. Before Wednesday, people living in Hong Kong had to wear a mask in any public area. The strongest predictor of how the places did were vaccination rates. But Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday that restrictions there would gradually lift with mask and remote work mandates easing early next month and Many countries have also implemented mask mandates in fact, more than the number of countries that have imposed vaccine mandates. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. In January, passenger volumes at the Norman Foster-designed airport were a third of the level four years earlier. It's too premature," says Mike Toole, a founding member of Medicins sans Frontiers in Australia and an associate research fellow at Burnet Institute whose work revolves around infectious diseases and international health. "We look forward to a better tomorrow, which is the 1st of March so that we can all put a smile on our faces say, 'Hello, Hong Kong,'" he said, according to Hong Kong Free Press. Read about our approach to external linking. Add your comment to start the conversation. 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, government officials have explicitly stated that plans could change as new data and/or disease cases emerge. But like Mr. Lee, he said the end of the mandate signified a return to normalcy. On Tuesday, Hong Kong recorded just 96 COVID-19 cases, according to Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection. However, masks will still be required in health care settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. Heres where. The progress of vaccination and drop in hospitalizations and deaths allow us to take this measure.". At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. These interventions made travel safer and possible, especially for senior citizens during the pandemic, says Toole, who is age 75. France only requires masks in health care facilities. However many locals could be seen still wearing masks on Wednesday, local media reported. CDC has previously recommended wearing a high-quality mask, such as a tight-fitting N95 version and avoiding areas with low vaccination levels. While mask rules vary by park, they are still required on all forms of enclosed public transportation, the NPS noted. (At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. No spam, just a weekly roundup of the best aviation news that you don't want to miss. 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. Hong Kongs mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. The U.S. isn't the only country to have dropped mask requirements. Masks are just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris. India Dot Com Private Limited. April 20, 2022, 10:00 AM UTC. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. According to the Brazilian report, the governor of Sao Paulo city, Joao Doria tweeted, "Finally without masks. The rule was first enforced on July 29, 2020, and directed individuals to wear masks in all public places. hide caption. April 20, 2022, 10:00 AM UTC. 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 Germany had seemed at times to have much of the virus under control, mask mandates and restrictions tightened in January 2021. 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 According to Tourism Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino tourists visited the Southeast Asian country in 2018. 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. 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. 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. Lo Chung-mau, director of the Medical and Health Bureau, said at the press conference that he expects cases of respiratory viruses, such he expects the peak to be short and that it will have very little impact on public health systems. 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.. 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. As the number of COVID-19 infections in Spain continues to decline, the country recently removed the mandate for wearing masks in outdoor settings. Denmark People in Denmark can be exempted from wearing face masks everywhere, except public transports. It is a clear message to show Hong Kong is resuming normalcy," Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee told Reuters. 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. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions. Japan has been one of the main travel destinations of Filipinos in the past years. In 2022, there were 126,900 Filipinos who visited the country. The only places where masks are still required include hospitals and public transit. Many countries have also implemented mask mandates in fact, more than the number of countries that have imposed vaccine mandates. The population has fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as residents fled for other cities. You can find her on twitter @kamal_t, Here's why you might still want to wear masks on public transport, are required to wear medical surgical, KN95 or N95 masks, the value of gloves as a pandemic measure has been debated and basically debunked, children over 5 and adults must have a negative PCR test. 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. Masks are just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris. Coronavirus FAQ: I'm a one-way masker. 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. 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. - 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. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. There are other precautionary measures for air travelers in China. Masks were still required on public transportation and in health care facilities, but not in restaurants, sports stadiums, movie theaters, and other public places. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. "People who wear a high-quality mask are well-protected, even if others around you are not masking," Massetti said. 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 meanwhile, fell 1.42%. Then in February 2022, all states dropped mask mandates. 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. 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. 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.. 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. DeSantis won't say he's running. Masks however, are still required for everyone, onboard all domestic flights. 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