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Kamala Thiagarajan is a freelance journalist based in Madurai, Southern India. Under Cap 599I Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation, the government legislation that covers the mandate, residents have been All Rights Reserved. Most states either don't have a statewide mask mandate in place or have announced plans to drop their mandates soon. 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. Mask mandates stretching for years on end are going to run out of steam in terms of how effective they are, Dr. Sridhar said. Indoor locations and public transportation required a mask, and people could be fined for failing to follow the rules. 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, These interventions made travel safer and possible, especially for senior citizens during the pandemic, says Toole, who is age 75. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. But those measures could not contain the spread of the more contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus as 2022 began. Masks are A mask can be the cheapest, simplest tool to protect you from infections in these situations.". 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. Masks are just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. In a bid to woo foreign visitors, the Hong Kong government has announced plans to give away half a million air tickets - beginning on Wednesday. Hong Kong has lifted its mask mandate, marking an end to one of the world's longest-running Covid restrictions. There were almost 500,000 Filipino tourists who arrived in Singapore in 2022. By last year, most European countries that had imposed mask rules had scaled them back everywhere except on planes and some metros. It, however, experienced a surge in April 2021. Additionally, Hong Kong's population shrunk dramatically during the Covid period. 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. Several other countries and territories in Asia have been rolling back COVID-19 restrictions as leaders look to shift to an endemic phase. The progress of vaccination and drop in hospitalizations and deaths allow us to take this measure.". Masks will still be required in health care settings. The move comes as the government seeks to attract tourists and overseas workers to revitalize the finance hub. Subscribe to The Defender's Top News of the Day.It's free. However, masks will still be required in health care settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. Philadelphia: Masks are currently required at the Philadelphia International Airport and in many of the citys indoor spaces, like restaurants, museums, sporting areas 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. Although masks were not required in outdoor settings where social distancing was possible. China has a zero-COVID policy. Vietnam logged more than 100,000 Filipino visitors prior to the pandemic. "After looking at all the data, the trends The rule was first enforced on July 29, 2020, and directed individuals to wear masks in all public places. All Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a high-quality mask inside of Federal buildings in areas The controls, which changed frequently and with little warning, came at a heavy cost to residents and contributed to an exodus from the city. Heres where. Feb. 28, 2022, 12:34 PM PST / Updated April 21, 2022, 6:15 AM PDT. Hungary no longer requires masks anywhere. 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. In addition to masks, passengers are asked to bring their own gloves as an optional additional precautionary measure. It is a clear message to show Hong Kong is resuming normalcy," Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee told Reuters. 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 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. In 2022, there were 126,900 Filipinos who visited the country. Rappler.com. 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. According to Tourism Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino tourists visited the Southeast Asian country in 2018. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. 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. According to reports, the country saw an exodus of 187,000 people in the last three years as residents escaped to safer pastures. "We think this is the best timing to make this decision. "We know that also because children are relatively at lower risk from severe illness that schools can be safe places for children. 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. Photo/Matthew Busch/The New York Times / Various masks hang at a home in Austin, Texas, on Dec. 20, 2022. In case of refusal to use it before or during the flight, you will be reported as an unruly passenger to the respective authorities. Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% in 2022, contracting for the third time in four years. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Terms & Conditions. (The authorities see gloves as a deterrent to infection even though the value of gloves as a pandemic measure has been debated and basically debunked). El Salvador no longer requires masks in public spaces. Tourism numbers remain low. Updated: 11:07 PM EST February 25, 2022. "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.". 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. Wearing face covers in open spaces is no longer a mandate in UAE. 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. Miss a day, miss a lot. 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 We didnt see that major difference with transmissions. 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. Flight crews have been subject to even more demanding requirements than passengers in many places. April 20, 2022, 10:00 AM UTC. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. 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. Hong Kong had dropped most other pandemic restrictions by earlier this year. Some criticised the rule's duration and its sudden scrapping - amid wider criticism of the city's pandemic policies for the past three years. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Face coverings or masks were required at all shops, offices, and hairdressers. However, in light of the current vaccination reates and relatively low virus prevalence, the South Korean government announced in April 2022 that it would be lifting all social distancing rules. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. But as the pandemic situation continued to get better, the US government announced in 2022 that wearing face masks will no longer be mandatory. For the most part, people have followed the government's recommendations, and many private businesses require masks for customers. Hong Kong is one of the last cities globally to still have a mask mandate. What are the CDC guidelines? Singapore has been lauded as highly effective in its management of containing COVID-19 with a very low number of cases from the virus. 3. 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. 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, masks must be worn at indoor places and public transport, where a vaccination pass is not needed. Before the pandemic, almost 500,000 Filipino travelers visited Thailand. But even as mask mandates for public transportation are debated and sometimes dropped many global health experts support them. In January, passenger volumes at the Norman Foster-designed airport were a third of the level four years earlier. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Here is a list. 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. Vietnam made face masks compulsory for people to wear in public on March 16. 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 "People who wear a high-quality mask are well-protected, even if others around you are not masking," Massetti said. Health Secretary Chung-mau Lo said the government would recommend that people who are immunocompromised or have upper respiratory issues continue to wear masks. "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. On the no-no list: Fabric or reusable masks on flights within Chile. Ky., Jan. 24, 2022. 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. Taken together, an area to be "high," "medium" or "low" risk. 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. WATCH | Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. It also got the highest ranking in COVID-19 resilience by Bloomberg. The same thing has happened in some countries in Latin America: Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, for example. We use the largest wearing survey (n = 20 million) and obtain our estimates from regions across six Estonia has no mask rules at this time. 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. BY Tristan Bove. Read about our approach to external linking. In late January, South Korea rolled back face covering requirements for most indoor places. Under the mandate, which took effect in July 2020, people who failed to wear masks in public could be fined about $635. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. The population has fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. 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 a press call with reporters, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky cautioned that COVID was unpredictable and that these conditions could change that put hospitals at risk of once again being overloaded. Speaking truth to power requires allies like you. Because the truth is worth it.). Accordingly, the CDC would no longer recommend that these communities insist on indoor masking. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. 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. 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. The states masking rule for businesses and workplaces expired on Feb. 11. The new recommendations are a major change in how the federal government is approaching pandemic guidance. The rationale behind mask "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. 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. 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