Nearly three years after Covid first erupted, the requirement to wear a mask both indoors and outside in Hong Kong has been withdrawn.

Chief executive John Lee has announced that Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate from Wednesday 1st March, finally ending the Covid-19 restrictions imposed nearly three years ago. “We think this is the best timing to make this decision. It is a clear message to show Hong Kong is resuming normalcy,” he said.

The global toy industry has slowly resumed travel to international destinations, but Hong Kong has, until now, remained one of the few locations where restrictions introduced during the pandemic have proved discouraging to the majority of business travellers. Testing requirements for travellers were eased in December last year, however.

The requirement for facial coverings both indoors and outside will be scrapped at the same time. Currently, only people visiting country parks or doing strenuous physical activity are exempt from wearing face coverings outdoors.

Medical experts have been urging authorities to drop the mask policy, claiming the population had already acquired a high level of hybrid immunity. “Mask-wearing cannot fully prevent a Covid outbreak, as we can see from the fifth pandemic wave last year,” commented Dr Siddharth Sridhar, a clinical assistant professor in microbiology at the University of Hong Kong.

Earlier this month, Hong Kong launched a promotional campaign called “Hello Hong Kong” to lure back international visitors, and it is now hoped that the move will serve to kick-start business in the region.

The news has been welcomed by the international toy trade community, which has long seen Hong Kong as a global hub for sourcing product.

The territory’s mask mandate came into effect in July 2020 and has been renewed every two weeks since, in accordance with government administrative periods. Most other local Covid control measures have already been dropped, although in healthcare settings such as at hospitals and in nursing homes, administrators may still request the wearing of masks. The public will also be recommended to wear them on public transport.

Until now, government legislation has meant that Hong King residents have been subject to hefty on-the-spot fines if they break the rules. Secretary for Health, Lo Chung-mau, said he believed people would continue to wear masks on a voluntary basis to protect themselves and others.

In mainland China, residents are not required to wear masks outdoors, although authorities encourage them to do so in indoor places such as airports and stations.