A health official who has appeared daily on television during Sars briefings has joined the ranks of people taking off their masks.
Liu Shao-haei, a Hospital Authority senior executive manager, was one of the first public figures to go on television wearing a mask at the end of March. After appearing with a mask all last week, Dr Liu took his place next to Director of Health Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun at yesterday's briefing without his mask.
Asked about Dr Liu's decision, a Hospital Authority spokesman said: 'The wearing of a face mask is a personal decision.'
He said it did not reflect the authority's official advice, which suggests the wearing of surgical masks as a way to protect yourself and others from the disease.
The mask debate began last Friday when a WHO executive, director of communicable diseases David Heymann, told the South China Morning Post: 'It is time you can probably put down your mask.'
