China toughens mandate to use face masks even outdoors

China confines thousands over 1:57 delta variant outbreak

Hong Kong (CNN) -

Chinese health authorities have issued new guidelines tightening the requirement for the use of masks by the public, including in outdoor areas, as the country faces its worst covid-19 outbreak in more than a year. anus.

The outbreak of the delta variant that spans more than half of China's provinces has put authorities on high alert, with strict lockdowns, mass testing and new travel restrictions imposed on tens of millions of residents.

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Before the current outbreak, life in China had largely returned to normal with cases almost eliminated except for small, isolated outbreaks.

In many cities, people in their daily lives no longer wore masks, and photos of crowds largely without masks at tourist spots and music festivals repeatedly made international headlines.

On Friday, China's National Health Commission issued revised guidelines, requiring the public to wear face masks not only indoors and in public transportation, but also in busy outdoor areas.

"The public ... has become less aware of covid-19 prevention as the pandemic drags on. Some think they don't have to wear a mask after getting vaccinated, creating gaps in epidemic prevention and personal protection, "the National Health Commission said on Friday.

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China's tightening of mask requirements comes as other countries are also mobilizing to revise their mask guide.

US authorities now recommend that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors when in areas with "substantial" and "high" transmission of COVID-19.

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However, unlike in China, the subject of wearing masks remains highly contentious in the U.S. During the pandemic, U.S. public health officials reported receiving death threats and harassment in response to their recommendations to wear masks and follow certain covid-19 mitigation measures.

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China's updated guidelines state that the general public must now wear masks in shopping malls, supermarkets, cinemas, exhibition halls and airports, as well as in all public transport and elevators.

The mask is now also required in crowded outdoor areas such as public squares and parks.

Previous guidelines, issued in May of last year, did not require the use of masks for outdoor areas or indoor spaces with little people and good ventilation.

The new guidelines also tightened mask requirements for key professional groups considered to be at highest risk of contracting the virus, including those dealing with personnel and property abroad, medical workers, as well as cleaners, security guards. and drivers who work in ports, airports, customs and hospitals.

The ongoing outbreak began last month in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu province, where nine airport cleaners were found to be infected during a routine test.

Authorities said cleaners did not strictly follow epidemic prevention guidelines after cleaning a flight from Russia and contracted the virus, before spreading it to other colleagues.

In separate guidelines issued on Friday, the National Health Commission included Mahjong salons, gyms, milk tea shops and mentoring institutions on its expanded list of "hot spots" for epidemic prevention and control.

Mahjong salons, popular with seniors, have played a central role in the spread of COVID-19 in the eastern city of Yangzhou, a critical point in the ongoing outbreak, according to authorities.

The city is conducting its seventh round of mass testing in two weeks and reported 25 new cases on Friday.

Across China, 47 locally transmitted symptomatic infections were reported on Friday, according to the National Health Commission.

The country has seen more than 1,000 cases since the outbreak, but daily new cases have dropped to double digits in recent days.

The spread of the highly contagious delta variant in China has raised concerns about the level of protection currently offered by Chinese vaccines.

On Friday, the National Health Commission announced that 770 million people in China had been fully vaccinated, representing 55% of its population of 1.4 billion.

That puts it ahead of the US, where just over 50% of the population is fully vaccinated.

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