As the number of COVID-19 infections in Spain continues to decline, the country recently removed the mandate for wearing masks in outdoor settings. Read about our approach to external linking. Hong Kong was one of last places on Earth to mandate mask-wearing. France French residents and citizens do not have The progress of vaccination and drop in hospitalizations and deaths allow us to take this measure.". 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. New York state's school masking mandate will be lifted Wednesday, Gov. 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. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks during a Senate hearing on the COVID-19 response, March 18, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Rappler.com. "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. Under the mandate, which took effect in July 2020, people who failed to wear masks in public could be fined about $635. Checking with any international carrier before heading to the airport is still critical, says Wu. It is a clear message to show Hong Kong is resuming normalcy," Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee told Reuters. However, the Malaysian government imposed key responses such as expanding its testing capacity for COVID-19. 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. 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. Hong Kongs mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. 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 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. All Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a high-quality mask inside of Federal buildings in areas FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. Harrelson Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. 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. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. 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. Denmark People in Denmark can be exempted from wearing face masks everywhere, except public transports. Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% in 2022, contracting for the third time in four years. She also noted that people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to it should continue to mask, regardless of what risk-level their community has. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Philadelphia: Masks are currently required at the Philadelphia International Airport and in many of the citys indoor spaces, like restaurants, museums, sporting areas 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. 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. 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. Although there is no legal mask mandate covering the entire country of Japan, there are strong recommendations to wear a mask in public. According to reports, the country saw an exodus of 187,000 people in the last three years as residents escaped to safer pastures. Which other countries have lifted the mask mandate? Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. 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. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. Hong Kong is one of the last cities globally to still have a mask mandate. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 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. And because case counts remained high, the public health agency had stuck to its recommendation of indoor masking, including inside schools. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. 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. Health Secretary Chung-mau Lo said the government would recommend that people who are immunocompromised or have upper respiratory issues continue to wear masks. 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.. 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. The new recommendations are a major change in how the federal government is approaching pandemic guidance. Because many locations are allowed to determine their own mandates on masks, some outbreaks have occurred. Ky., Jan. 24, 2022. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. On Tuesday, Hong Kong recorded just 96 COVID-19 cases, according to Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection. Hungary no longer requires masks anywhere. The U.S. isn't the only country to have dropped mask requirements. Mask rules are changing yet again, this time on public transit. Indonesia is one of the countries in Southeast Asia that was greatly affected by the pandemic and had experienced surges of cases since 2020. Hong Kong will end its mask mandate for indoors and outdoors on Wednesday, March 1 its Chief Executive John Lee said in a briefing. S&P Index data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. Although masks were not required in outdoor settings where social distancing was possible. 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. ", 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. Hong Kong had one of the worlds longest and strictest mask mandates which required people to wear a face mask in nearly all public settings, including outside in the open air. Accordingly, the CDC would no longer recommend that these communities insist on indoor masking. WATCH | Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? 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. Indoor locations and public transportation required a mask, and people could be fined for failing to follow the rules. The past three years of global isolation have weighed heavily on the citys economy and reputation. While mask rules vary by park, they are still required on all forms of enclosed public transportation, the NPS noted. Walensky said that a review of that requirement is ongoing and a decision will be made in the weeks ahead. Upgrade to Rappler+ for exclusive content and unlimited access. Ky., Jan. 24, 2022. The same thing has happened in some countries in Latin America: Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, for Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? However, Mexico still has various internal restrictionsincluding mandatory masks in most indoor spaces, social distancing rules, and self-isolation rules. 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. Failing to comply with the rules could see authorities slapping a fine of up to $1,275 (HK$ 10,000). Here is a list. 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 severe covid restrictions had a negative effect on Hong Kong's economy. The majority of the country would now be considered low-to-medium risk. A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. El Salvador no longer requires masks in public spaces. There are no comments yet. Many countries have also implemented mask mandates in fact, more than the number of countries that have imposed vaccine mandates. Masks are still worn in several countries in Asia. 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. Estonia has no mask rules at this time. 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. Mask mandates stretching for years on end are going to run out of steam in terms of how effective they are, Dr. Sridhar said. 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. And there are still some inflight announcements about infection prevention for instance, reminding passengers not to touch their face, In China and other countries you'll also need medical documents in order to fly. Sign up here. In January, passenger volumes at the Norman Foster-designed airport were a third of the level four years earlier. Feb. 28, 2022, 12:34 PM PST / Updated April 21, 2022, 6:15 AM PDT. 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. Speaking truth to power requires allies like you. "People who wear a high-quality mask are well-protected, even if others around you are not masking," Massetti said. However, government officials have explicitly stated that plans could change as new data and/or disease cases emerge. All Rights Reserved. Almost 100,000 Filipino tourists arrived in Indonesia before the pandemic. The population has fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as residents fled for other cities. Kamala Thiagarajan is a freelance journalist based in Madurai, Southern India. The National Authority for Emergency, Crisis, and Disaster Management (NCEMA) has announced face covers to be optional. But as the pandemic situation continued to get better, the US government announced in 2022 that wearing face masks will no longer be mandatory. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for 945 days, people could be fined up to HK$5,000 (530; $640). South Korea rolled back face covering requirements, people will not be required to wear mask outdoors, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The new metrics will place the majority of the country in low to medium COVID-19 risk. Cathay Pacific has told passengers who are nervous or uncomfortable around seatmates who choose not to wear a face mask on one of the airlines flights to postpone their travel plans after Hong Kong lifted its years-long mask mandate. Your email address will not be published. In 2019, the US was home to more than four million Filipinos. Read about our approach to external linking. 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.