Facemasks are no longer mandatory as of October 1: find out about the exceptions and answer any doubts about the measure
Facemask use will no longer be mandatory in Chile after the Health Ministry announced that the entire country – except Easter Island and the Juan Fernández archipelago – has advanced to the Opening scenario.
Chile has taken a new and important step in gradually returning to normal thanks to the country’s current coronavirus situation, with cases declining, an outstanding vaccination plan, and the population’s respect for the health regulations implemented during the pandemic.
Facemasks are therefore no longer mandatory as of October 1, after more than two years of obligatory use. This is important news, but it should not mean that self-care measures are relaxed, considering that the pandemic is not yet over.
Head of the Health Ministry’s Epidemiology Department, Christian García, explained, “today, we are more protected and experiencing a more favorable epidemiological situation, with low COVID-19 impact in critical units throughout the country and a downward trend in the infection rate for more than five weeks.”
He also emphasized that although facemask use is no longer mandatory, it is still recommended everywhere that people accumulate, as well as on public and private collective transport, in case of respiratory symptoms such as cough, fever, sneezing and general discomfort, and where there may be contact with people at greater risk of serious illness, such as the elderly or those with chronic diseases.
Public Health Undersecretary, Cristóbal Cuadrado, repeated the call for people not to let their guard down, as “the pandemic is not over. We are in a more favorable epidemiological situation, with high vaccination rates and better conditions for ventilation that have allowed us to move forward in making the measures more flexible.”
Undersecretary Cuadrado stated that healthcare establishments are the only places where facemask use will continue to be mandatory. “Facemask use will be obligatory in spaces where people go to receive clinical care, such as the doctor’s office or hospital.”
Given certain doubts that have arisen, he explained that “the mandatory nature of facemask use is limited to public or private centers where clinical care is provided to people. This type of care is not received in pharmacies, so facemask use is not mandatory there.”
Furthermore, “it is mandatory for employers to provide facemasks to employees who want to wear them, in case, for example, they have a chronic disease or are in poorly ventilated spaces.”