The only exception is for children under 2 years of age and between 2 and 11 years old, for whom there is flexibility in the use of the mask. Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% in 2022, contracting for the third time in four years. Many people have stopped wearing masks but others are still opting to keep theirs on. 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The Hang Seng index fell 0.69% as Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee announced to drop its mask mandate starting March 1. The Hang Seng index fell 0.69% as Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee announced to drop its mask mandate starting March 1. 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. Tourism numbers remain low. Vietnam is cited as one of the success stories in its fight against COVID-19 and has fared better economically than many other countries. This is definitely the most welcome news to us, not only for us being in Hong Kong, living in Hong Kong but also for us running the airline, Mandy Ng, chief executive officer of low-cost carrier Hong Kong Express Airways Ltd., told Bloomberg Television. 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. 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. We use the largest wearing survey (n = 20 million) and obtain our estimates from regions across six Upgrade to Rappler+ for exclusive content and unlimited access. 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. Vietnam made face masks compulsory for people to wear in public on March 16. 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. The number of destinations on the list is slowly increasing, including plenty in Europe. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. South Korea ended its indoor mask rule on January 30, 2023, but still recommends wearing masks, including in public transportation. Harrelson conducted the interview to promote his new film Champions, but things took a turn when he was asked about his perspective on the movie business evolution since the 1990s. Ky., Jan. 24, 2022. Although masks were not required in outdoor settings where social distancing was possible. 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. 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. 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 removal of the mask mandate may help stimulate interest in Hong Kong, along with the ticket giveaway. On social media, many residents expressed elation and relief that the day of unmasking had "finally" come. Most of these curbs were rolled back at the end of last year. 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. Read more:Hong Kong announces further easing of COVID-19 curbs. All Rights Reserved. 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. MANILA, Philippines The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted all countries worldwide to impose lockdown measures and travel restrictions to avoid spreading the virus. South Korea is also one of the major tourist destinations of Filipinos with 450,000 Filipino visitors in 2017. 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. The updated guidance comes after weeks of pressure from governors and state officials who asked for a clear roadmap at the national level. This year and the next year, we will focus on the economy and development.. But testing isn't 100% accurate and people aren't always 100% responsible for self-testing. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. "We think this is the best timing to make this decision. According to reports, the country saw an exodus of 187,000 people in the last three years as residents escaped to safer pastures. 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. 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. Accordingly, the CDC now says individuals at high-risk of COVID-19 complications should consider taking precautions, such as avoiding crowds and wearing a high-quality mask. In 2019, half a million Filipino tourists visited the country. Speaking truth to power requires allies like you. 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. Ky., Jan. 24, 2022. It is a clear message to show Hong Kong is resuming normalcy," Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee told Reuters. No spam, just a weekly roundup of the best aviation news that you don't want to miss. Iceland Iceland was one of the first countries in 2022 to remove all their internal covid-related restrictions, as well as their entry requirements, returning to a pre-pandemic normal. Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism. 3. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. WATCH |Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? While the updated guidance drops the recommendation of universal masking in schools, the CDC said it is still reviewing a federal requirement that individuals wear masks on public transportation, including on airplanes. India Dot Com Private Limited. Additionally, Hong Kong's population shrunk dramatically during the Covid period. Everyone can show their smiles and say, Hello, Hong Kong, he said, repeating the citys new tourism slogan. The Hang Seng Tech index 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. In 2019, the US was home to more than four million Filipinos. Vietnam logged more than 100,000 Filipino visitors prior to the pandemic. 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. Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. 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. Denmark became the first European country to lift the mask mandate. 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. The new metrics will place the majority of the country in low to medium COVID-19 risk. Venezuela was among the first countries to impose the mandatory use of face masks in public back in March. Japan has been one of the main travel destinations of Filipinos in the past years. Updated: 11:07 PM EST February 25, 2022. South Korea has mandated mask-wearing in both indoor and outdoor public locations since the beginning of the pandemic. Hong Kongs mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. 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. The severe covid restrictions had a negative effect on Hong Kong's economy. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. "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. Mask requirements may be a thing of the Authorities claiming that the virus is no longer considered a 'critical threat'. The Hang Seng Tech index meanwhile, fell 1.42%. They still use shields and gloves. A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. France French residents and citizens do not have 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. China has a zero-COVID policy. Some criticised the rule's duration and its sudden scrapping - amid wider criticism of the city's pandemic policies for the past three years. Anyone can read what you share. Walensky said that a review of that requirement is ongoing and a decision will be made in the weeks ahead. Wearing a mask both indoors and outside was mandated in Italy throughout much of the pandemic. Heres where. Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant at the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying throughout the COVID-19 pandemic for a well-known European airline. Hong Kong will end its mask mandate for indoors and outdoors on Wednesday, March 1 its Chief Executive John Lee said in a briefing. Thepopulationhas fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as residents fled for other cities. According to Tourism Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino We didnt see that major difference with transmissions. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Masks were still required on public transportation and in health care facilities, but not in restaurants, sports stadiums, movie theaters, and other public places. It was only a year ago that some Americans were There are other precautionary measures for air travelers in China. Hungary no longer requires masks anywhere. Because the truth is worth it.). Add your comment to start the conversation. Now to Hawaii An indoor mask mandate, the final statewide 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, 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. Several other countries and territories in Asia have been rolling back COVID-19 restrictions as leaders look to shift to an endemic phase. Denmark People in Denmark can be exempted from wearing face masks everywhere, except public transports. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. It, however, still recommends wearing masks indoors and in crowded places. On the no-no list: Fabric or reusable masks on flights within Chile. Hong Kong is one of the last cities globally to still have a mask mandate. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. According to the Brazilian report, the governor of Sao Paulo city, Joao Doria tweeted, "Finally without masks. The city's gross domestic product fell by 3.5% last year. 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.. 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. The move comes as the government seeks to attract tourists and overseas workers to revitalize the finance hub. COLUMBUS, Ohio Masks will no longer be required for anyone on school buses, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday. Sa Sa International Holdings Ltd., which sells beauty products, climbed as much as 6.4%. With mask mandates going away, is that helpful. Almost 100,000 Filipino tourists arrived in Indonesia before the pandemic. Many countries have also implemented mask mandates in fact, more than the number of countries that have imposed vaccine mandates. Hong Kongs leader said on Tuesday that the city Learn more. 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. SIGHTSEEING SPOT. 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. All rights reserved. "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. 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. 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