China lifted mask mandates for public transport, workplaces and schools, some of the few places where the coverings were still required, doing away with some of its final remaining “zero COVID-19” restrictions as it moves on from the pandemic.
Masks would still need to be worn in hospitals, nursing homes and in the midst of COVID-19 outbreaks, a government statement said on Wednesday.
However, people would be able to take them off on transport, including planes, trains, subways and buses, while people working in offices and students at schools would not be required to wear them either.
Photo: EPA-EFE
China abruptly pivoted from its strict COVID-19 policy in December last year and has largely since returned to normal, with its streets bustling and people eating out, traveling and shopping again after years of on-and-off lockdowns and uncertainty.
However, the reopening also saw a major surge in cases and deaths across the country, fueled in part by inadequate vaccination, which has made some people wary of removing their masks in public even as measures have eased.
The end of masking on transport comes as Chinese authorities approve new immunizations including its first homegrown shot based on the messenger RNA technology, recommending a fresh immunization as soon as three months after a previous dose or COVID-19 infection — compared with the six-month interval mandated previously.
In related news, Singapore is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infections as the city-state transitions to living with an endemic virus.
The number of weekly infections so far this year peaked in the final week of last month at more than 28,000 cases, data from the Singaporean Ministry of Health showed.
That is almost double the previous week’s figure of 14,467.
The current wave is driven by a mix of XBB subvariants and the cases are mostly mild, local media reported, citing the health ministry.
Singapore continues to expect new COVID-19 infection waves from time to time, similar to other endemic respiratory diseases such as influenza, local media said.
Singapore dropped most mask mandates in February, citing significantly reduced threats from the virus.
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