CHINA lifted mask mandates for public transport, workplaces and schools, some of the few places where the coverings were still required, doing away with some of its final remaining Covid Zero restrictions as it moves on from the pandemic.

Masks will still need to be worn in hospitals, nursing homes and in the midst of Covid outbreaks, according to a government statement announcing the changes on Wednesday (Apr 12) afternoon. But people will be able to take them off on transport including planes, trains, subways and buses, while people working in offices and students at schools won’t be required to wear them either.

China abruptly pivoted from its strict Covid policy in December and has largely since returned to normal, with its streets bustling and people eating out, travelling and shopping again after years of on and off lockdowns and uncertainty. But the reopening also saw a major surge in cases and deaths across the country, fuelled in part by inadequate vaccination, which has made some people weary of removing their masks in public even as measures have eased.

The end of masking on transport comes as Chinese authorities approve new immunisations including its first homegrown shot based on the messenger RNA technology, recommending a fresh immunisation as soon as three months after a previous dose or Covid infection — compared to the six-month interval mandated previously. BLOOMBERG