And not just any mask will do. 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. Thepopulationhas fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as residents fled for other cities. "People who wear a high-quality mask are well-protected, even if others around you are not masking," Massetti said. This year and the next year, we will focus on the economy and development.. China has a zero-COVID policy. "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.". "None of us know what the future holds for us and for this virus," Walensky said. 3. The only places where masks are still required include hospitals and public transit. ), Two United Airlines Pilots Sent For Additional Training After Boeing 777 Plunges 1,425 Feet Within Seconds Just After Takeoff, The Super Bowl Has United Airlines Flight Attendants On The Look Out For Human Traffickers Ahead of Mega Event, Emirates Cabin Crew Salary and Benefits 2021, Emirates Cabin Crew Recruitment The Complete Guide And Step-By-Step Process 2021, The Emirates Cheat Sheet for the Cabin Crew Open Day & Assessment Day 2018, Etihad Airways Cabin Crew Salary and Benefits 2020, Etihad Cabin Crew Recruitment Step by Step Process 2021, British Airways Cabin Crew Recruitment Step by Step Process 2022, NEW & UPDATED: British Airways Cabin Crew Salary and Benefits 2020, The British Airways Cheat Sheet for the Cabin Crew Assessment Day, The Qatar Airways Cabin Crew Open Day and Assessment Day: What Really Happens? Hong Kong is one of the last cities globally to still have a mask mandate. Vietnam logged more than 100,000 Filipino visitors prior to the pandemic. 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. Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. Offers may be subject to change without notice. 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. On Tuesday, Hong Kong recorded just 96 COVID-19 cases, according to Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection. Most states either don't have a statewide mask mandate in place or have announced plans to drop their mandates soon. Hong Kongs tough Covid controls, which until last year also included limits on group gatherings, flight bans and long hotel quarantines, were criticized by business leaders and others, who said they were needlessly damaging peoples livelihoods, as well as the citys status as a finance center and a tourist destination. From tomorrow we are completely returning to normalcy, Lee said. Hong Kong will end its mask mandate for indoors and outdoors on Wednesday, March 1 its Chief Executive John Lee said in a briefing. 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. The Hang Seng Tech index meanwhile, fell 1.42%. Subscribe to The Defender's Top News of the Day.It's free. 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.. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. 2023 BBC. (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). Masks are just one protective measure for these airline passengers arriving in Shanghai from Paris. El Salvador no longer requires masks in public spaces. Masks however, are still required for everyone, onboard all domestic flights. But as the pandemic situation continued to get better, the US government announced in 2022 that wearing face masks will no longer be mandatory. 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. For business its a game changer, said Allan Zeman, chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Holdings Ltd. Before, a lot of people would stay away from Hong Kong because the mask was showing that we were still stuck in the Covid days.. Many analysts view the relaxation of mask mandates as the next logical step. As of April 2022, many of these restrictions have been lifted, with masks required only in stores and on public transport. Hong Kong's Asian rival Singapore scrapped indoor face coverings in August, while South Korea did the same in January this year. Before Wednesday, people living in Hong Kong had to wear a mask in any public area. France only requires masks in health care facilities. India Dot Com Private Limited. The mask mandate for domestic U.S. flights has been lifted although it might come back. 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 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 Now, Berlin and Brandenburg are the first of Germany's 16 federal states considering a reintroduction of mandatory masks for indoor public spaces, at least in retail. The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions. The move comes as the government seeks to attract tourists and overseas workers to revitalize the finance hub. Indoor locations and public transportation required a mask, and people could be fined for failing to follow the rules. Mask mandates stretching for years on end are going to run out of steam in terms of how effective they are, Dr. Sridhar said. Gross domestic product shrank 3.5% in 2022, contracting for the third time in four years. All Rights Reserved. Taken together, an area to be "high," "medium" or "low" risk. 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. 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. Almost 100,000 Filipino tourists arrived in Indonesia before the pandemic. But in mid-March the rules were revised; PPEs are no longer required for cabin crew onboard. The updated guidance comes after weeks of pressure from governors and state officials who asked for a clear roadmap at the national level. Here is a list. hide caption. In 2022, there were 126,900 Filipinos who visited the country. Actor Woody Harrelson held nothing back during a February interview with The New York Times where he blasted mandates and COVID-19 protocols. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. 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. South Korea has mandated mask-wearing in both indoor and outdoor public locations since the beginning of the pandemic. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. 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. For impactful stories you just cant miss, By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy. Mask requirements may be a thing of the The virus is under control in Hong Kong with no major signs of a rebound, the city's leader John Lee said. 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. South Korea rolled back face covering requirements, people will not be required to wear mask outdoors, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Denmark People in Denmark can be exempted from wearing face masks everywhere, except public transports. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Masks have never been mandatory in Japan, but most people have been wearing them. Macau, the nearby gambling hub, which like Hong Kong is a Chinese territory, ended its outdoor mask mandate on Monday. Speaking truth to power requires allies like you. The new metrics will place the majority of the country in low to medium COVID-19 risk. Finland is entirely free of mask-related rules. COLUMBUS, Ohio Masks will no longer be required for anyone on school buses, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday. Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. 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. Harrelson Some criticised the rule's duration and its sudden scrapping - amid wider criticism of the city's pandemic policies for the past 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 transport and on commercial aircraft. Mall landlords Wharf Real Estate Investment Co. and New World Development Co. rose more than 1.4%. Most of these curbs were rolled back at the end of last year. Miss a day, miss a lot. As of April 2022, many of these restrictions have been lifted, with masks required only in stores and on public transport. 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. According to Tourism Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino And there are still some inflight announcements about infection prevention for instance, reminding passengers not to touch their face, In China and other countries you'll also need medical documents in order to fly. CDC has previously recommended wearing a high-quality mask, such as a tight-fitting N95 version and avoiding areas with low vaccination levels. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe To Our Daily Newsletter And Get News Delivered Straight To Your Inbox. Hong Kong has largely followed mainland China's lead in efforts to tackle the virus, including attempts to eliminate it with a "zero-Covid" strategy. Photo/Matthew Busch/The New York Times / Various masks hang at a home in Austin, Texas, on Dec. 20, 2022. 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. The population has fallen by a net 187,000 in the three years through 2022 as Accordingly, the CDC would no longer recommend that these communities insist on indoor masking. 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 mask mandate has been in effect since July 2020. While mask mandates and restrictions had started to relax in China in late 2021, the Omicron variant caused a resurgence in both COVID-19 cases and the addendant restrictions that accompany them in early 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. 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. Ky., Jan. 24, 2022. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. (At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Hong Kong is one of the last cities globally to still have a mask mandate. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? According to Tourism Malaysia, 396,000 Filipino tourists visited the Southeast Asian country in 2018. All rights reserved. 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. Mask mandates are still in effect in a small number of places. 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. The U.S. isn't the only country to have dropped mask requirements. Switzerland removed its indoor mask mandate on February 17, 2022. As the country continued to curb the cases in 2022, Malaysia lifted the indoor mask mandate in most public areas. WATCH |Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? 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. Before the pandemic, almost 500,000 Filipino travelers visited Thailand. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. 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. WATCH | Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? 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. 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. What's he waiting for? However, masks will still be required in health care settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. Anyone can read what you share. The National Authority for Emergency, Crisis, and Disaster Management (NCEMA) has announced face covers to be optional. "You must wear your mask at all times throughout the flight, except when eating or drinking," is Egyptair's position. 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 BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. 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. "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. By Sarah Jacoby. The majority of the country would now be considered low-to-medium risk. 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 These interventions made travel safer and possible, especially for senior citizens during the pandemic, says Toole, who is age 75. People wear face masks in the MTR station, a day before government gets rid of the mask rule in Hong Kong, Feb. 28, 2023. The number of destinations on the list is slowly increasing, including plenty in Europe. Starting Wednesday, people in Hong Kong will no longer be required to wear masks indoors, outdoors or on public transportation, though facilities like hospitals and nursing homes can still require them, Mr. Lee said. The mandate, which went into effect in mid-July 2020, imposed a more than $600 fine to those who didn't follow mask rules. Hector Retamal /AFP via Getty Images No spam, just a weekly roundup of the best aviation news that you don't want to miss. Thousands died, many of them seniors who had not been vaccinated. Failing to comply with the rules could see authorities slapping a fine of up to $1,275 (HK$ 10,000). Many countries have also implemented mask mandates in fact, more than the number of countries that have imposed vaccine mandates. 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. Cases have been declining for weeks. The same thing has happened in some countries in Latin America: Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, for Read about our approach to external linking. 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. Your body temperature is measured when you enter an airport and again before boarding the plane. 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. However, as the vaccination rate increased and the country gained confidence in its health care network's ability to combat the virus, restrictions have been gradually eased. Already have Rappler+? 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