Chile ends masks and mobility pass mandates

Chile’s Minister of Health, Ximena Aguilera, announced that Chile would move to an “opening” stage, which consists, among other measures, of the elimination of the mobility pass requirement and the mandatory use of masks, except health establishments, as of October 1.

Thus, using face masks will only be recommended in crowded areas such as public transportation but will not be mandatory.

Aguilera advised that if a person has Covid-related or respiratory symptoms, they should wear masks to avoid contagion, which he considers a “cultural change” that the government hopes will prevail.

As for educational establishments, the Health Minister said that each educational community would be in charge of defining if they request the use of masks for their students inside the classrooms.

Aguilera said that the epidemiological situation is “quite favorable” in the country. “We have observed a decrease in positivity and a high vaccination coverage.”

Chile hopes to have a new ambivalent vaccine against Covid-19 that will be administered annually. This vaccine must be authorized by the Institute of Public Health (ISP).

Health authorities informed that, if necessary and depending on the evolution of the epidemiological situation, they could reinstate the relaxed measures.

With information from Bloomberg