But like Mr. Lee, he said the end of the mandate signified a return to normalcy. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. Accordingly, the CDC would no longer recommend that these communities insist on indoor masking. Most states either don't have a statewide mask 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?". However, masks must be worn at indoor places and public transport, where a vaccination pass is not needed. 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. The controls, which changed frequently and with little warning, came at a heavy cost to residents and contributed to an exodus from the city. In a press conference on April 20, the director of the Pan American Health Organization, Dr. Carissa Etienne, noted: "The WHO's emergency committee last week declared that the COVID health pandemic still constitutes an extraordinary event that continues to adversely affect the health of populations around the world. Denmark People in Denmark can be exempted from wearing face masks everywhere, except public transports. Matt is passionate about the aviation industry and has become an expert in passenger experience and human-centric stories. 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. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. Your email address will not be published. There are no comments yet. Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% in 2022, contracting for the third time in four years. "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.". Indonesia is one of the countries in Southeast Asia that was greatly affected by the pandemic and had experienced surges of cases since 2020. Masks will no longer be needed outdoors, indoors or on public transport, Hong Kong leader John Lee told reporters on Tuesday. 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. Switzerland removed its indoor mask mandate on February 17, 2022. Indoor locations and public transportation required a mask, and people could be fined for failing to follow the rules. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. 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. Most previous work focused on mask mandates; we study the effect of mask wearing directly. Almost 70 percent of the population in the USA are in areas of low or medium risk. 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. 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. Face masks must still be worn in closed spaces. However, masks will still be required in health care settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for 945 days, people could be fined up to HK$5,000 (530; $640). Hector Retamal /AFP via Getty Images 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. 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. With the removal of the mask mandate, Hong Kong will return to normal all around, and in this year and the coming year will go all out for the economy and development at full speed, Mr. Lee said. 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.". With mask mandates going away, is that helpful. Additionally, Hong Kong's population shrunk dramatically during the Covid period. On Tuesday, Hong Kong recorded just 96 COVID-19 cases, according to Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection. Hong Kong was one of the world's last masking holdouts. 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. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. As part of its Hello Hong Kong campaign, the city is giving away more thanhalf a millionairline tickets starting from Wednesday. New York state's school masking mandate will be lifted Wednesday, Gov. 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But as the pandemic situation continued to get better, the US government announced in 2022 that wearing face masks will no longer be mandatory. In 2022, the country lifted the mandatory face mask and relaxed rules of wearing it in public places. 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. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. The progress of vaccination and drop in hospitalizations and deaths allow us to take this measure.". A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. However, the government has suggested that face coverings be worn in: France has stated that face masks would no longer be compulsory in public places that require vaccination passes. 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. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. 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. 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. In case of refusal to use it before or during the flight, you will be reported as an unruly passenger to the respective authorities. 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. The Japanese government has said it will ease mask-wearing guidelines on 13 March, recommending masks only on trains and buses during rush hour, or where public transportation is particularly congested. It also got the highest ranking in COVID-19 resilience by Bloomberg. The new recommendations are a major change in how the federal government is approaching pandemic guidance. But Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday that restrictions there would gradually lift with mask and remote work mandates easing early next month and LinkedIn has officially entered its cringe era, and its working. In South Korea, for instance, they are still required on public transportation, as well as in hospitals and pharmacies. Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism. 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. Masks have never been mandatory in Japan, but most people have been wearing them. However, Mexico still has various internal restrictionsincluding mandatory masks in most indoor spaces, social distancing rules, and self-isolation rules. Most states either don't have a statewide mask mandate in place or have announced plans to drop their mandates soon. When asked why it dropped its universal masking recommendation for schools, the CDC said the lower risk of serious COVID-19 illness in kids was a factor. Hong Kong will end its mask mandate for indoors and outdoors on Wednesday, March 1 its Chief Executive John Lee said in a briefing. We are witnessing the Great Unmasking, with masks mandates falling faster, even, than plummeting Omicron caseloads. 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. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. Cases have been declining for weeks. Hoping to revive tourism, the city recently announced plans to give away half a million plane tickets to foreign visitors, and the authorities have continued to roll back the remaining restrictions. 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 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. Health Secretary Chung-mau Lo said the government would recommend that people who are immunocompromised or have upper respiratory issues continue to wear masks. Photo/Matthew Busch/The New York Times / Various masks hang at a home in Austin, Texas, on Dec. 20, 2022. The only places where masks are still required include hospitals and public transit. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. (At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Most of these curbs were rolled back at the end of last year. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. Then in February 2022, all states dropped mask mandates. Indoor venues, such as casinos, can set requirements at their discretion. In Italy, face masks are no longer required in public places. As of Wednesday, the city will no longer require people to wear masks indoors, outdoors or on public transportation. Read more:Hong Kong announces further easing of COVID-19 curbs. All Rights Reserved. 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Hawaii An indoor mask mandate, the final statewide A federal judge in Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. Masks are just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. Vietnam made face masks compulsory for people to wear in public on March 16. Before the pandemic, almost 500,000 Filipino travelers visited Thailand. The states masking rule for businesses and workplaces expired on Feb. 11. India Dot Com Private Limited. In addition to masks, passengers are asked to bring their own gloves as an optional additional precautionary measure. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Hungary no longer requires masks anywhere. It, however, experienced a surge in April 2021. Compared to other countries, vaccinations in Japan have been slow to roll out to the public. 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. Heres where. The majority of the country would now be considered low-to-medium risk. Masks will still be required in health care settings. "People who wear a high-quality mask are well-protected, even if others around you are not masking," Massetti said. 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. Places where social distancing is not followed. Heres where. Many countries have also implemented mask mandates in fact, more than the number of countries that have imposed vaccine mandates. The new metrics will place the majority of the country in low to medium COVID-19 risk. At one stage, masks were required even when exercising. 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. Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. By last year, most European countries that had imposed mask rules had scaled them back everywhere except on planes and some metros. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Mask rules are changing yet again, this time on public transit. Tourism numbers remain low. 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. Almost 100,000 Filipino tourists arrived in Indonesia before the pandemic. All rights reserved. "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. What's he waiting for? SIGHTSEEING SPOT. Hong Kong had dropped most other pandemic restrictions by earlier this year. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. 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. Which other countries have lifted the mask mandate? In 2022, there were 126,900 Filipinos who visited the country. Kamala Thiagarajan is a freelance journalist based in Madurai, Southern India. 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. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions. 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. 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. 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. "You must wear your mask at all times throughout the flight, except when eating or drinking," is Egyptair's position. Rappler.com. 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. , on Dec. 20, 2022 restrictions by earlier this year school masking mandate will be countries with mask mandates 2022,. Is passionate about the aviation industry and has become an expert in passenger experience and human-centric stories turn on notifications! 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