Before the pandemic, almost 500,000 Filipino travelers visited Thailand. 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. A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. 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.. 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. The controls, which changed frequently and with little warning, came at a heavy cost to residents and contributed to an exodus from the city. Taiwan announced in February that it has lifted the indoor mask mandate and has eased other restrictions. 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. Under Cap 599I Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation, the government legislation that covers the mandate, residents have been Here are some countries mostly frequented by Filipinos that have eased or lifted the mandatory face mask protocol: Japan is one of the countries that controlled the spread of COVID-19 and has not seen a massive outbreak of the virus until 2021. Mask requirements may be a thing of the Flight crews have been subject to even more demanding requirements than passengers in many places. 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. However many locals could be seen still wearing masks on Wednesday, local media reported. Under previous rules, the CDC primarily considered COVID-19 case counts to determine risk. 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. A young woman wears a KN95 mask in downtown Salt Lake City on Jan. 26, 2022. Wearing a mask both indoors and outside was mandated in Italy throughout much of the pandemic. The move will come into effect from March 1 and suggests that the administration is looking to restore some semblance of normalcy. With the removal of the mask mandate, Hong Kong will return to normal all around, and in this year and the coming year will go all out for the economy and development at full speed, Mr. Lee said. In 2022, there were 126,900 Filipinos who visited the country. 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 The progress of vaccination and drop in hospitalizations and deaths allow us to take this measure.". However, masks must be worn at indoor places and public transport, where a vaccination pass is not needed. The severe covid restrictions had a negative effect on Hong Kong's economy. No spam, just a weekly roundup of the best aviation news that you don't want to miss. By last year, most European countries that had imposed mask rules had scaled them back everywhere except on planes and some metros. April 20, 2022, 10:00 AM UTC. SIGHTSEEING SPOT. 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. Almost 100,000 Filipino tourists arrived in Indonesia before the pandemic. The number of destinations on the list is slowly increasing, including plenty in Europe. The United Kingdom removed its mask restrictions for travelers in 2022. Hong Kong had dropped most other pandemic restrictions by earlier this year. Your body temperature is measured when you enter an airport and again before boarding the plane. 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, 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. 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. Accordingly, the CDC would no longer recommend that these communities insist on indoor masking. Denmark became the first European country to lift the mask mandate. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. (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). Vietnam is cited as one of the success stories in its fight against COVID-19 and has fared better economically than many other countries. Your email address will not be published. Cases have been declining for weeks. In addition to masks, passengers are asked to bring their own gloves as an optional additional precautionary measure. However, masks will still be required in health care settings such as hospitals and nursing homes. In Italy, face masks are no longer required in public places. "With the removal of the mandate, Hong Kong will return to normalcy," Mr Lee said on Tuesday. 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. 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. 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. VideoRecord numbers of guide dog volunteers after BBC story. Leaders in Hong Kong hope the easing of requirements will help bring back tourists and businesses. Indoor venues, such as casinos, can set requirements at their discretion. Face masks must still be worn in closed spaces. 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. Under the mandate, which began in July 2020 and lasted for 945 days, people could be fined up to HK$5,000 (530; $640). Masks will no longer be needed outdoors, indoors or on public transport in Hong Kong Photograph:(Reuters). Read about our approach to external linking. Subscribe to The Defender's Top News of the Day.It's free. With mask mandates going away, is that helpful. Mexico removed all entry requirements, including the mandatory health form, on January 1, 2022. France French residents and citizens do not have 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. Global isolation meant that the tourism industry was completely wrecked and the economy of Asia's financial hub shrank by 3.5 per cent in 2022. Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines. However, Mexico still has various internal restrictionsincluding mandatory masks in most indoor spaces, social distancing rules, and self-isolation rules. Learn more. Hungary no longer requires masks anywhere. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times. France With more than 92% of its population of 67+ million people vaccinated, France chose to lift the majority of its COVID-19 restrictions in 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 U.S. isn't the only country to have dropped mask requirements. Masks will no longer be needed outdoors, indoors or on public transport, Hong Kong leader John Lee told reporters on Tuesday. 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. 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. Additionally, last week, the gambling hub of Macao said people will not be required to wear mask outdoors but will still be required in elderly care homes, hospitals and public transit. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. 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. WATCH |Why Hong Kong residents are rushing to get Covid-19 vaccination? In 2019, the US was home to more than four million Filipinos. Face coverings or masks were required at all shops, offices, and hairdressers. Many residents and business owners have said such tough rules damaged Hong Kong's economy and international standing. As of April 2022, many of these restrictions have been lifted, with masks required only in stores and on public transport. England has lifted the legal mandate on face coverings. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions. This year and the next year, we will focus on the economy and development.. Several other countries and territories in Asia have been rolling back COVID-19 restrictions as leaders look to shift to an endemic phase. They still use shields and gloves. As of Wednesday, the city will no longer require people to wear masks indoors, outdoors or on public transportation. Hong Kong will end its mask mandate for indoors and outdoors on Wednesday, March 1 its Chief Executive John Lee said in a briefing. Finland is entirely free of mask-related rules. 2022. 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. In South Korea, for instance, they are still required on public transportation, as well as in hospitals and pharmacies. Everyone can show their smiles and say, Hello, Hong Kong, he said, repeating the citys new tourism slogan. Ky., Jan. 24, 2022. But some remain - primary and secondary school students still need to test daily for Covid, although some reports say this measure could be lifted later this month. 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. 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. Matt is passionate about the aviation industry and has become an expert in passenger experience and human-centric stories. 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. But those measures could not contain the spread of the more contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus as 2022 began. The move comes as the government seeks to attract tourists and overseas workers to revitalize the finance hub. It, however, still recommends wearing face masks indoors, and in public transportation, including airplanes and trains. So what does the global mask scene mean for American fliers? The removal of the mask mandate may help stimulate interest in Hong Kong, along with the ticket giveaway. "None of us know what the future holds for us and for this virus," Walensky said. Now to Add your comment to start the conversation. Before Wednesday, people living in Hong Kong had to wear a mask in any public area. 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India Dot Com Private Limited. 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. 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. A federal judge in But Prime Minister Jean Castex said Thursday that restrictions there would gradually lift with mask and remote work mandates easing early next month and Hong Kong has lifted its mask mandate, marking an end to one of the world's longest-running Covid restrictions. In a statement, the airline said it will respect anyones decision to choose whether to wear a mask or not after the mandate was finally lifted on Wednesday after more than 950 days. Rappler.com. 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. Kristin Murphy, Deseret News. "After looking at all the data, the trends Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Masks will still be required in health care settings. And not just any mask will do. Hong Kong was one of the world's last masking holdouts. Coronavirus FAQ: I'm a one-way masker. According to reports, the country saw an exodus of 187,000 people in the last three years as residents escaped to safer pastures. The only places where masks are still required include hospitals and public transit. Has eased other restrictions, face masks are still required include hospitals pharmacies. Recommends wearing face masks are still required include hospitals and pharmacies restrictions had a negative on. 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