Hong Kong to lift COVID mask mandate on Wednesday

Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate Wednesday, ending the city’s last major restriction imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city’s Chief Executive John Lee said the requirement will end outdoors and indoors, including public transit, but some high-risk premises can still require people to wear masks. Those include hospitals and elderly homes. Lee’s announcement at a news briefing Tuesday came a day after the neighboring city Macao eased its mask rule and will bring the financial hub closer to the life in pre-pandemic days. For most of the pandemic, people in Hong Kong have been required to wear a mask in indoor and outdoor public areas and violators could be fined.