Hong Kong, one of many final locations on the planet to impose tight Covid-19 restrictions on face coverings, will drop its masks mandate after greater than two and a half years.

John Lee, the Chinese language territory’s chief and former prime cop, stated necessities to put on a masks indoors, outside and on public transport could be scrapped from Wednesday. The masks mandate has been in place since July 2020.

“With the lifting of the masks mandate, we have now now formally eliminated all anti-epidemic restrictions. Hong Kong has totally returned to normalcy,” stated well being minister Lo Chung-mau. “We will all put a smile on our faces.”

Japan didn’t have a masks mandate however eased pointers on masks carrying earlier in February.

Macau, one other Chinese language territory adjoining to Hong Kong, dropped its out of doors and indoor masks mandate on Monday, whereas Taiwan halted its indoor masks mandate in February, having earlier lifted an out of doors requirement on face coverings.

Hong Kong’s financial system was crippled after the town was compelled to comply with China in imposing tight pandemic restrictions together with at factors a weeks lengthy quarantine and a ban on vacationers.

Together with a troublesome safety crackdown which adopted 2019’s pro-democracy protests, the foundations undermined the town’s standing as a monetary hub.

Lee stated the town would now try and rebuild. “We are going to give attention to our financial system and the town’s improvement this yr and the subsequent after resuming normalcy,” he stated on Tuesday.