Hong Kong was one of the last places on Earth to enforce mask-wearing outside, with violators facing hefty fines.
HONG KONG — Hongkongers will finally be able to leave home without a face mask from Wednesday , nearly 1,000 days after the pandemic mandate was imposed.
The end of masking restrictions comes as the government tries to woo back tourists and overseas talent to revive the recession-hit economy. "We have got a high level of hybrid immunity and a relatively low case fatality rate — the latter at a level similar to flu," said Assoc Prof Kwok Kin-on, an associate professor of public health at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, calling masking unneeded.
Official data shows that by the end of 2022, Hong Kong had issued more than 22,000 tickets for mask violations and collected HK$111.56 million in fines.By last year, most European countries that had imposed mask rules had scaled them back everywhere except on planes and some metros. Mr Lee said he would leave high-risk venues like hospitals and elderly care homes to make their own masking policies.
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