Peru eliminated the mandatory use of masks: which other countries applied this measure?

The Government of Peru announced on Wednesday that it has decided to lift the mandatory use of masks in places public in areas of the country where 80% of the inhabitants have received three doses of vaccines against covid-19.

Prime Minister Aníbal Torres reported that the decision was made at the meeting of the Council of Ministers and will be implemented the day after the publication of the decree in the newspaper official El Peruano, which can happen this Thursday or Friday.

“In places where 80% or more have been vaccinated with the three doses, the use of the mask is optional, the one who wants to use it, the one who does not want to use it, the one who does not want to use it,” Torres said at a press conference.

However, it is not the first country to take this step. Little by little, the restrictions imposed by the pandemic are being lifted. Review the countries that have already gone through this experience of progressively eliminating the mask.

UNITED STATES

A federal judge in the United States withdrew the order to carry a mask against covid-19 on Monday, stating that it exceeded the legal authority of the CDC. Lawmakers in Washington had decided just the week before to extend the measure until May 3. The US government will appeal the ruling that repealed a federal mandate to wear a mask on public transport, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

SPAIN

As of this Wednesday, Spaniards can enter indoor spaces without a mask, such as shopping centers and other establishments, except for means of transport, hospitals and nursing homes.

The improvement in the health situation has allowed this restriction, which had been in force since 20 May 2020 and which was still in force in Spain, one of the few countries that had not withdrawn it, to finally fall.

PARAGUAY

Paraguay ended on Monday the health emergency due to the covid-19 pandemic, in force since March 2020, and eliminated the mandatory use of masks, despite the fact that less than half of its population is fully vaccinated.

The decision is based “on the improved epidemiological situation that the country has been experiencing for eleven weeks, with the decrease in the number of positive (cases), people killed and admitted to intensive care for the disease,” government spokesman Guillermo Sequera announced at a press conference.

ENGLAND

In England, masks are no longer mandatory since the end of January and positive people do not have to legally quarantine. The requirement for travellers to take a test and provide contact details was also recently lifted.

Other British nations, such as Scotland, continue to impose masks indoors although Wales plans to eliminate them on Monday.

AUSTRIA

The use of masks in Austrian schools will no longer be mandatory next week, even for those who are not vaccinated against covid-19, announced today the country's government.

The use of masks, currently mandatory for people over 14 years of age in corridors, toilets and canteens, but not in classrooms, may be temporarily reimposed in schools or classes where positive cases are registered, explained Education Minister Conservative Martin Polaschek. Teachers won't have to wear masks either, Polaschek said.

ISRAEL

Israel will eliminate the obligation to wear a mask indoors starting this Saturday night due to the steady decline in cases in the country, which pioneered the vaccination campaign to reverse the pandemic.

The use of masks will continue to be mandatory in places at high risk of infection, such as airplanes, hospitals and nursing homes, the Israeli Ministry of Health reported today.

ITALY

According to the roadmap for the removal of restrictions approved by the Government, it is expected that from 1 May the obligation to wear a mask in closed places will be eliminated. But experts are divided and have asked to think about it again: the virus continues to circulate and cases tend to decline, but very slowly.

GREECE

In Greece, it has been decided to wait for Orthodox Holy Week to pass. As of May 1, the obligation to show the covid passport disappears, not the use of masks indoors, which will only be eliminated on June 1 and not everywhere. Outdoors, it has ceased to be necessary for more than a month, except in agglomerations, for which there is a “strong recommendation”.

FRANCE

In France, masks ceased to be mandatory indoors on March 14, although there are exceptions to this rule, such as public transport, health centers or nursing homes.

BÉLGICA

In Belgium, indoor masks ceased to be mandatory since March 7, the day after which they are required only in public transport, hospitals and nursing homes, although the recommendation for people at risk, for the general population in closed places accessible to the public and outdoors remains when the safety distance cannot be guaranteed.

By mid-February, the mandatory use of masks outdoors and indoors for children under the age of twelve had already been eliminated.

THE NETHERLANDS

On March 23, the Netherlands eliminated the obligation to wear masks on public transport, which was in fact the last restriction still in force in the country against COVID-19, so their use is now only required on airplanes and in the interior space located after the airport security check.

However, the mask is still recommended for people over 13 years of age in agglomerations, public transport and taxis, as well as during the ten days after having tested positive for COVID-19 when it comes to closed spaces accessible to the public, but in all these cases it is only a recommendation and not an obligation.

GERMANY

The compulsory use of the mask indoors was abolished in the whole of commercial life, as well as the restoration, in mid-April. It is only compulsory for public transport, pharmacies, doctor's offices, hospitals and geriatrics, and its use is strongly recommended in establishments where the commonly recommended distance of 1.5 meters cannot be kept.

TURKEY

It applies since the beginning of March a relaxation of the anti-covid regulations, eliminating the obligation to wear a mask in open spaces, as well as indoors if they are well ventilated and distance can be kept. The mask is still mandatory, and routinely used, on public transport and in movie theaters and similar spaces, although the Ministry of Health has announced new steps towards normalcy in the coming days or weeks.

ARGENTINE

In Argentina, the use of masks has not been mandatory since October 2021 in Argentina. The city of Buenos Aires announced that the use of masks is no longer required in schools, public institutions and in open spaces, although in closed spaces and private companies it is at the discretion of the owners of the place.

CHILE

Chile, one of the countries with the strictest measures to contain COVID-19, ordered that the mask should no longer be mandatory outdoors in 14 of its 16 regions. Masks will be mandatory, however, in closed spaces and in any open space where a physical distance of more than one meter cannot be maintained, such as fairs or squares.

MEXICO

The government of Mexico City eliminated the recommendation to wear masks in open spaces due to good vaccination and infection rates. The measure was also adopted in Nayarit, Coahuila and Nuevo León, where the use of face coverings was no longer mandatory in open places, provided there is social distancing.

KEEP READING: