From tomorrow we are completely returning to normalcy, Lee said. 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. The controls, which changed frequently and with little warning, came at a heavy cost to residents and contributed to an exodus from the city. Masks are still worn in several countries in Asia. 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. BY Tristan Bove. The United Kingdom removed its mask restrictions for travelers in 2022. Harrelson 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. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. 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. Accordingly, the CDC would no longer recommend that these communities insist on indoor masking. A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. Mask mandates are still in effect in a small number of places. WATCH | Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? DeSantis won't say he's running. Finland is entirely free of mask-related rules. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. 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. SIGHTSEEING SPOT. 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. Taken together, an area to be "high," "medium" or "low" risk. These interventions made travel safer and possible, especially for senior citizens during the pandemic, says Toole, who is age 75. Under the mandate, which took effect in July 2020, people who failed to wear masks in public could be fined about $635. As of April 2022, masks are required to be worn at all times when leaving the home, mandatory testing and quarantine centers have been reopened, and many schools and non-essential businesses have been temporarily closed again. People have beenrequiredto wear masks in all public places, including outdoors, from July 29, 2020. MANILA, Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted all countries worldwide to impose lockdown measures and travel restrictions to avoid spreading the virus. The following are the CDC guidelines in the USA for areas of: Wear if in contact with someone at high risk for severe illness, Masks required indoors and in public places. But those measures could not contain the spread of the more contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus as 2022 began. The U.S. isn't the only country to have dropped mask requirements. A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. Masks are just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris. 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. However, the Malaysian government imposed key responses such as expanding its testing capacity for COVID-19. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. With mask mandates going away, is that helpful. But that approach didn't take into account that vaccinations are now widely available to people over age 5 and that most vaccinated people who tested positive during the omicron and delta waves experienced mostly mild symptoms that did not require hospitalization. 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. Philadelphia: Masks are currently required at the Philadelphia International Airport and in many of the citys indoor spaces, like restaurants, museums, sporting areas Masks are just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris. The severe covid restrictions had a negative effect on Hong Kong's economy. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. Estonia has no mask rules at this time. April 20, 2022, 10:00 AM UTC. A mask can be the cheapest, simplest tool to protect you from infections in these situations.". COLUMBUS, Ohio Masks will no longer be required for anyone on school buses, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday. And because case counts remained high, the public health agency had stuck to its recommendation of indoor masking, including inside schools. Speaking truth to power requires allies like you. The same thing has happened in some countries in Latin America: Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, for example. Macau, the nearby gambling hub, which like Hong Kong is a Chinese territory, ended its outdoor mask mandate on Monday. There are other precautionary measures for air travelers in China. WATCH |Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? Coronavirus FAQ: I'm a one-way masker. The U.S. isn't the only country to have dropped mask requirements. 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. The majority of the country would now be considered low-to-medium risk. 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. 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. 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. 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. Denmark People in Denmark can be exempted from wearing face masks everywhere, except public transports. Most previous work focused on mask mandates; we study the effect of mask wearing directly. 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. "None of us know what the future holds for us and for this virus," Walensky said. Japan has been one of the main travel destinations of Filipinos in the past years. Hong Kong's Asian rival Singapore scrapped indoor face coverings in August, while South Korea did the same in January this year. 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. El Salvador no longer requires masks in public spaces. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. As of April 2022, the emergence of COVID-19 vaccinnes (as well as increased availability of treatment) has enabled many countries to relax their mask mandates. It, however, still recommends wearing face masks indoors, and in public transportation, including airplanes and trains. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. South Korea ended its indoor mask rule on January 30, 2023, but still recommends wearing masks, including in public transportation. Hong Kong largely avoided mass outbreaks in the first two years of the pandemic by imposing tight border controls and social distancing policies, in an attempt to bring its caseload as close to zero as possible. "We know that also because children are relatively at lower risk from severe illness that schools can be safe places for children. The move comes as the government seeks to attract tourists and overseas workers to revitalize the finance hub. 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. 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 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. While Germany had seemed at times to have much of the virus under control, mask mandates and restrictions tightened in January 2021. CDC has previously recommended wearing a high-quality mask, such as a tight-fitting N95 version and avoiding areas with low vaccination levels. Masks have never been mandatory in Japan, but most people have been wearing them. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. In Italy, face masks are no longer required in public places. Learn how your comment data is processed. By last year, most European countries that had imposed mask rules had scaled them back everywhere except on planes and some metros. Vietnam made face masks compulsory for people to wear in public on March 16. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for 945 days, people could be fined up to HK$5,000 (530; $640). The Omicron surge in late 2021/early 2022 convinced several prefectures to institute restrictions on some businesses, especially bars and eateries, but those restrictions have since been lifted. 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. We find that population mask wearing notably reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission (mean mask-wearing levels corresponding to a 19% decrease in R). 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. 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