COVID-19: Beijing Says Use Of Face Masks No Longer Mandatory

People in Beijing, the Chinese capital, can now move freely without masks, after health authorities in the city lifted the mandatory use of mask as a requirement for curbing the spread of COVID-19.

The decision come after the city recorded zero cases of the disease in 13 consecutive days.

According to Reuters, people were however seen on friday in Beijing still putting on masks.

Most of those seen in masks said they felt safe with a mask, while others attributed it to social pressure.

Reuters quoted a 24-year old Beijing woman, Cao, as saying she felt safe with mask.

Cao said: “I think I can take off my mask anytime, but I’ll need to see if others accept it. Because I’m afraid that people would be scared if they see me not wearing mask.”

The latest relaxation of guidelines is the second by health authorities in the city, following the gradual return of normalcy after two rounds of lockdowns.

In late April, the city’s Municipal Centre for Disease Control said residents could go without a mask in open areas. However, that rule was reversed  in June as a result of a new outbreak in a large wholesale market in the city’s south.

No new reports of locally-transmitted cases were recorded in the China’s mainland for five days after successfully controlled rising cases in the capital, Xinjiang.

Twenty-two imported cases were reported in the mainland on for August 20. This has forced it to close its borders to most non-Chinese citizens.

The country has reported a total of 84,917 cases since the outbreak began.

Wearing of masks, mandatory home quarantine and participating in mass testing are some of the rules health experts in the country attributed to the success of controlling the virus.