MMA, which last month said the country must “seriously consider” doing away with wearing face masks in enclosed spaces, welcomed the government’s announcement today that face masks would no longer be mandatory in most indoor settings effective immediately.
However, its president Dr Koh Kar Chai noted that the continued wearing of face masks will help prevent the spread of other airborne infections, apart from Covid-19.
Highlighting how the country is currently facing a high number of influenza infections, he said in a statement that the “judicious use of face masks” will help control the spread of influenza as well.
It was previously reported that flu cases in the country mainly involved young children and those above 65 years of age.
Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, however, said cases of influenza-like illness in the country were under control despite several clusters being detected at boarding schools.
Earlier today, Khairy announced that the use of face masks would no longer be mandatory in most indoor settings effective immediately.
However, high-risk individuals such as the elderly, those with chronic diseases, and pregnant women are highly encouraged to continue donning masks when indoors.
Koh said though there were many instances where the mask mandate had been removed, “we still need to be vigilant and keep a face mask on hand to be used when needed”.
The government made face masks mandatory both outdoors and indoors on Aug 1, 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. It relaxed the policy on May 1, 2022, with people no longer required to wear one when outdoors.
National Recovery Council chairman Muhyiddin Yassin, meanwhile, said the decision to further relax the rules was based on data and research, Bernama reported.
He added that many countries, including the UK, had done away with the mask mandates in public transport and crowded areas.
“This is a positive development. We can’t force (people to wear the masks) now that the (Covid-19) situation is much better. We also need to think about one’s level of comfort,” he was quoted as saying.