Explainer | Got too many masks after Hong Kong axed its face covering rules? Here are some helpful hints for using them up
- Internet users suggest converting masks into improvised feather dusters, while health expert tells residents to keep one month’s supply just in case
- Some shoppers are racing to grab cosmetic products to look their best after almost three years of hiding those smiles
Despite the removal of the mandate, many Hongkongers intend to keep wearing masks for fear of infection risks, while health experts have also urged the public to keep them on while on public transport and in crowded indoor areas.
As residents revel in the long-awaited relaxation, the Post looks into some life hacks for what to do with stockpiles of masks at home.
How many masks should people keep at home?
Despite the lifting of the mask-wearing requirement, respiratory medicine expert Dr Leung Chi-chiu advised residents to wear face coverings in certain crowded, high-risk premises such as public transport, shopping centres and kindergartens.
Wearing masks in such locations would help protect people from Covid-19 and influenza, he said, explaining that this year’s flu season had not yet arrived and called on residents to be cautious.
“Not just Covid, we also need to be careful of influenza when we relax the mask-wearing mandate,” he said.
Leung suggested residents keep at home a month’s worth of masks, setting aside one or two for daily use, until the end of March, after which people could reassess the local coronavirus and flu situations.
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Timothy Chui Ting-pong, chief operating officer of manufacturer Family Mask, said despite the lifting of the mandate, face coverings remained a daily necessity that many residents would keep stocked at home.
Chui also said he was not worried about the city’s future supply of masks, believing that many companies would continue operating. He added that he did not expect residents to encounter any difficulties buying face coverings and suggested people just purchase them when needed.
“There is no need to store too many masks at home as Hong Kong will have sufficient supplies of them,” he said.
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Many in Hong Kong remain masked on city’s first day after end of Covid face-covering mandate
What should you do with your remaining masks?
Given that the materials masks were made of could be damaged by moisture, people should store their remaining stock in cool, dry places such as wardrobes to ensure the face coverings’ quality before they expired, Chui said.
Some internet users also shared their own ideas online on how to use up any remaining masks left at home while saving money.
A widely shared tip by Japanese homemaker and cleaning expert Yoshimama suggested removing the nose wires from the three non-woven masks, which can easily absorb dust, and tying the coverings to a mop for cleaning up around the house.
Other internet users suggested surplus masks could be donated to NGOs and care homes for vulnerable elderly residents.
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No more mask mandate. So what are people buying?
With the city’s mandate axed, residents can once again show their faces in public for the first time in almost three years. Anxious to look their best, some shoppers have rushed to buy cosmetic products such as lipsticks and razors, the Post has found.
A saleswoman at Giorgio Armani Beauty in Mong Kok’s Langham Place said she had noticed more women buying lipstick recently.
Daniel Wong also went to buy a new shaver after work on Tuesday when the lifting of the policy was announced. The 28-year-old clerk said he had made do with a dull, rusty razor before, since he was always wearing a mask and could afford not to be clean-shaven.
“I have to look my best on the first day without masks on,” he said.
Over in Taiwan, local media found that sales in cosmetic items such as lipstick had surged after the island lift its indoor mask-wearing requirement on February 20, with residents there flocking to shopping malls to snatch up beauty products.
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Why are people still masking up?
Among those heading to work on Wednesday, only a few were maskless, with some employees saying they were not comfortable taking them off on public transport.
At several schools, students expressed reservations about removing their face coverings and said they were adopting a wait-and-see attitude.
On social media, one resident wrote: “I continue to wear [my mask] when I am on a bus or train, so no one knows even if I fall asleep and drool”. Other internet users said they would still cover up to protect their children and also other family members who had not caught the coronavirus.
What are the latest rules?
While Hongkongers no longer need to cover up in most parts of the city, they are still required to don masks when entering high-risk premises such as hospitals.
Authorities also said they “strongly recommend” those visiting care homes for the elderly to wear face coverings.
The Hospital Authority on Tuesday said it would implement a series of measures from Wednesday and require all patients, visitors and staff to wear surgical masks while entering hospitals or healthcare facilities to minimise the risk of infection.
Clinical staff are also still required to conduct a Covid-19 rapid antigen test (RAT) before work every day, while hospital visitors must take one up to 24 hours before they arrive.
Students are no longer required to wear masks on campus but those at primary and special schools, as well as kindergartens, are still subject to a daily RAT requirement. The policy will remain in effect until March 15, pending a government review.
