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. Tourists along the promenade in the Tsim Sha Tsui area in Hong Kong, on Feb. 28, 2023. Mask mandates are still in effect in a small number of places. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. But those measures could not contain the spread of the more contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus as 2022 began. 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. As the number of COVID-19 infections in Spain continues to decline, the country recently removed the mandate for wearing masks in outdoor settings. Many analysts view the relaxation of mask mandates as the next logical step. Hong Kongs leader said on Tuesday that the city would lift its mask mandate, one of the last such policies in the world, effectively ending what had been one of the pandemics strictest Covid regimes. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for Offers may be subject to change without notice. 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 Masks are just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris. Masks have never been mandatory in Japan, but most people have been wearing them. 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Hector Retamal /AFP via Getty Images Under Cap 599I Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation, the government legislation that covers the mandate, residents have been Hong Kong will end its mask mandate for indoors and outdoors on Wednesday, March 1 its Chief Executive John Lee said in a briefing. Instead of heavily relying on the number of COVID-19 cases to gauge mask effectiveness, the CDC is assessing local hospital capacity and rate of hospitalisation to formulate key measures in the USA. 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. According to Tourism Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino hide caption. The states masking rule for businesses and workplaces expired on Feb. 11. France only requires masks in health care facilities. COLUMBUS, Ohio Masks will no longer be required for anyone on school buses, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday. Accordingly, the CDC would no longer recommend that these communities insist on indoor masking. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. 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. 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. 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. While mask rules vary by park, they are still required on all forms of enclosed public transportation, the NPS noted. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. CDC has previously recommended wearing a high-quality mask, such as a tight-fitting N95 version and avoiding areas with low vaccination levels. 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. Hong Kongs leader said on Tuesday that the city A mask can be the cheapest, simplest tool to protect you from infections in these situations.". Masks are just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris. "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. England has lifted the legal mandate on face coverings. Learn more. 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.". China has a zero-COVID policy. MANILA, Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted all countries worldwide to impose lockdown measures and travel restrictions to avoid spreading the virus. Indoor venues, such as casinos, can set requirements at their discretion. They still use shields and gloves. Hong Kong was one of the world's last masking holdouts. ", 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. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had, earlier last week, released new guidelines suggesting that 70 percent of Americans no longer needed to wear masks and needn't avoid crowded spaces. France French residents and citizens do not have But even as mask mandates for public transportation are debated and sometimes dropped many global health experts support them. Finland is entirely free of mask-related rules. Overall, Hong Kongs economy contracted by 6.1 percent in 2020; it rebounded in 2021, but shrank again in 2022. LinkedIn has officially entered its cringe era, and its working. Already have Rappler+? Masks however, are still required for everyone, onboard all domestic flights. 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. We find that population mask wearing notably reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission (mean mask-wearing levels corresponding to a 19% decrease in R). There were almost 500,000 Filipino tourists who arrived in Singapore in 2022. 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. In 2019, the US was home to more than four million Filipinos. Rappler.com. According to reports, the country saw an exodus of 187,000 people in the last three years as residents escaped to safer pastures. Before the pandemic, almost 500,000 Filipino travelers visited Thailand. Tourism numbers remain low. Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% in 2022, contracting for the third time in four years. The population has fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as residents fled for other cities. LATAM airline, based in Santiago, Chile, has a lengthy mask dissertation: "No passenger may board the aircraft without a mask, or without its proper use. The move will come into effect from March 1 and suggests that the administration is looking to restore some semblance of normalcy. Learn how your comment data is processed. Vietnam is cited as one of the success stories in its fight against COVID-19 and has fared better economically than many other countries. 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. Wearing a mask both indoors and outside was mandated in Italy throughout much of the pandemic. Hawara: 'What happened was horrific and barbaric', The people who want you to believe the Ukraine war is fake, What we've learned from Alex Murdaugh murder trial. People have beenrequiredto wear masks in all public places, including outdoors, from July 29, 2020. 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. Feb. 28, 2022, 12:34 PM PST / Updated April 21, 2022, 6:15 AM PDT. Almost 70 percent of the population in the USA are in areas of low or medium risk. Some criticised the rule's duration and its sudden scrapping - amid wider criticism of the city's pandemic policies for the past three years. Photo/Matthew Busch/The New York Times / Various masks hang at a home in Austin, Texas, on Dec. 20, 2022. "None of us know what the future holds for us and for this virus," Walensky said. The same thing has happened in some countries in Latin America: Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, for Most states either don't have a statewide mask mandate in place or have announced plans to drop their mandates soon. Indonesia is one of the countries in Southeast Asia that was greatly affected by the pandemic and had experienced surges of cases since 2020. (At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. 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. It, however, still recommends wearing face masks indoors, and in public transportation, including airplanes and trains. "People who wear a high-quality mask are well-protected, even if others around you are not masking," Massetti said. Hong Kongs mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. 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. Leaders in Hong Kong hope the easing of requirements will help bring back tourists and businesses. 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. Hong Kong is one of the last cities globally to still have a mask mandate. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. The new metrics will place the majority of the country in low to medium COVID-19 risk. 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. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. However, masks will still be required in health care settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. For impactful stories you just cant miss, By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy. Although Cathay Pacific is free to enforce its own mandate, the airline has chosen to follow the lead of the Hong Kong government and lift masking rules from March 1. And not just any mask will do. Read more:Hong Kong's population declines for a third consecutive year; Chinese influence to be blamed, China spending billions on spreading disinformation about Ukraine war, says US special envoy, 'Hello Hong Kong' mission kicks off with half a million free air tickets on offer, Zero to 100 in under 5 minutes: Redmi unveils 300W fastest charger. 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. In 2022, there were 126,900 Filipinos who visited the country. 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. Under the mandate, which took effect in July 2020, people who failed to wear masks in public could be fined about $635. According to Tourism Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino tourists visited the Southeast Asian country in 2018. WATCH |Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? The strongest predictor of how the places did were vaccination rates. Everyone can show their smiles and say, Hello, Hong Kong, he said, repeating the citys new tourism slogan. On social media, many residents expressed elation and relief that the day of unmasking had "finally" come. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 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. 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. Here is a list. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. Then in February 2022, all states dropped mask mandates. 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. 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. Health Secretary Chung-mau Lo said the government would recommend that people who are immunocompromised or have upper respiratory issues continue to wear masks. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Shares of companies linked to tourism gained. Although there is no legal mask mandate covering the entire country of Japan, there are strong recommendations to wear a mask in public. A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. BY Tristan Bove. All Rights Reserved. Taken together, an area to be "high," "medium" or "low" risk. Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism. Most previous work focused on mask mandates; we study the effect of mask wearing directly. Heres where. The mask mandate for domestic U.S. flights has been lifted although it might come back. The new recommendations are a major change in how the federal government is approaching pandemic guidance. As it reopened its borders, Singapore dropped mandatory mask requirements, both indoors and outdoors, in August 2022. Masks will still be required in health care settings. Hong Kong is ending its mask mandate Wednesday, becoming one of the world's last cities to drop rules demanding face coverings. WATCH | Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? But testing isn't 100% accurate and people aren't always 100% responsible for self-testing. Checking with any international carrier before heading to the airport is still critical, says Wu. ABC News' Britt Clennett contributed to this report. ", What Countries Require Masks in Public or Recommend Masks? Mall landlords Wharf Real Estate Investment Co. and New World Development Co. rose more than 1.4%. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public 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. It also got the highest ranking in COVID-19 resilience by Bloomberg. There are other precautionary measures for air travelers in China. All Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a high-quality mask inside of Federal buildings in areas With mask mandates going away, is that helpful. 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. 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