Hong Kong Ends Final COVID-19 Mandate

Hong Kong’s leader says the city will end its COVID-19 mask mandate Wednesday, March 1.

Chief Executive John Lee told reporters Tuesday the mandate would be lifted in all public spaces, but added that high-risk venues such as hospitals and nursing homes can make their own decision on whether to impose mandatory mask requirements.

The Chinese territory first imposed the strict mask mandate in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was one of the last places in the world to maintain such a policy. The neighboring territory of Macau announced Sunday that it was lifting its COVID-19 masking requirements for most locations except for hospitals and public transportation.

Hong Kong ended a mandatory COVID-19 hotel quarantine for international arrivals just last September.

Business groups, diplomats and many residents had slammed the COVID-19 rules saying they threatened Hong Kong’s competitiveness and standing as a global financial center.

Some information for this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.