Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: The world’s longest mask mandate ended in Hong Kong on Tuesday, literally giving its people breathing space as they will no longer have to wear masks from Wednesday, made compulsory after the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020.
Masks will no longer be necessary outdoors, indoors, or on public transport, Hong Kong leader John Lee told reporters.
Accordingly, Hong Kong residents will stop wearing masks in public places from Wednesday, drawing to a close the prolonged Covid era that damaged its economy and standing in the world, the media reported.
The move comes as the government plans to attract tourists and overseas workers to revitalize the finance hub. Hong Kong is all set to host in March the biggest series of international events since often-violent protests in 2019 shut down much of the city, including a music festival, Art Basel, and the Rugby Sevens tournament.
In January, Hong Kong dropped most other pandemic restrictions.
“Time is ripe for mask mandate to be scrapped,” Lee said.
After the outbreak of the pandemic, people were mandated to wear masks in all public places, including outdoors, from July 29, 2020. The rule was enforceable by fines of up to HK$10,000 ($1,275), with police regularly handing out HK$5,000 penalties on the spot for transgressors.
Hong Kong was one of the last places on the planet to mandate mask-wearing. At one stage, masks were required even when exercising. The rule increasingly jarred with Hong Kong’s push to move beyond the pandemic and lure visitors. As part of its Hello Hong Kong campaign, the city is giving away over half a million free airline tickets, starting from Wednesday, to boost the tourism sector.
In January, passenger volumes at the Norman Foster-designed airport were a third of the level four years earlier, as compared to 77 percent for Singapore.
The past three years of global isolation weighed heavily on Hong Kong’s economy and reputation. The economy shrank 3.5 percent 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.