Hong Kong to Lift COVID Mask Mandate on Wednesday

Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate on Wednesday, ending the last major restrictions imposed by the city during the COVID-19 pandemic.

City's chief executive John Lee said the requirement would end in outdoor and indoor spaces, including on public transit, but some high-risk buildings, including hospitals and nursing homes, still require people to wear masks.

Lee's announcement at a news briefing on Tuesday came a day after the neighboring city of Macau relaxed its mask rules and will bring the financial hub closer to life in its pre-pandemic days.

He mentioned that he made the decision because the city has not seen a resurgence in infections and has established an immunity barrier.

“In order to give people a very clear message that Hong Kong is resuming normalcy, I think this is the right time to make the decision,” he said.

He noted that the return to normal will be beneficial to Hong Kong's economic development and international competitiveness.

For most of the pandemic, people in Hong Kong have been required to wear a mask in indoor and outdoor public spaces. Violators can be fined HK$5,000 ($637).

Hong Kong has largely followed China's "zero COVID" strategy for the past three years and used to have some of the strictest anti-virus rules in the world. 

In the past six months, the government has taken greater steps to open up in a bid to revive its economy and catch up with rivals such as Singapore.