![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5B2CSRIFTZ4ANTOJL5KIGH52CE.jpg?smart=true&auth=d663a849e77b89c0de86d96745718e82f18e3b8a43540a4a418ca7b0731c7680&width=400&height=225)
Anna Elendt puts on a protective face mask after the 100m breaststroke women preliminary at the DSV Olympic Qualification - Europa Sportpark, Berlin, Germany. REUTERS / Annegret Hilse
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/HPPIU5PKQ6QKXMNPYB4T2LYH5A.jpg?smart=true&auth=024671840beab606707dfc448d8b5441694aaacb5f0201e12ea920012be2d002&width=400&height=225)
A woman wears a pink face mask as she walks under cherry trees in full blossom in Bonn, Germany. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TZ2AJXCWYX3C7XN6L7LIAAZQ4A.jpg?smart=true&auth=a22a4bdf93dc6738317f47eaf186b4d6a6904254cc036a6b4ebcf87663cea21d&width=400&height=225)
Muslims, mask-clad due to the coronavirus pandemic, perform the evening prayers during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. AFP / Hussein FALEH
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/V3WQSWLC6GXT5Z6L6G5P22FUZE.jpg?smart=true&auth=ddd2eeef40569c51f1b82bdefcc60c4310a4b9f4dfc9479b5e3e7567bfe54457&width=400&height=225)
A vendor wearing a protective face mask gestures in a shop at Pratunam market in Bangkok on April 16, 2021, as Thailand imposes further restrictions to deal with a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. AFP / Mladen ANTONOV
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/RCDWH4OGQ33ZTLMIW7KID5HZYE.jpg?smart=true&auth=2ba88f428ccc14e5d04a542b809afd4f0a05796657e93832d7d7c1f19115c54c&width=400&height=225)
A woman wearing a black face mask checks her phone on the street amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Madrid, Spain. REUTERS / Susana Vera
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FBDJBXLU43VWWXPT3MD5UNWDXI.jpg?smart=true&auth=c7e651567acc1b51d8d9f6cef4348e2b1a5242f90251f24d33450194c91c1942&width=400&height=225)
An Omani Muslim wearing a protective mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reads the Koran on his mobile during afternoon prayers. AFP / MOHAMMED MAHJOUB
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ZVZL3HLRTD2BTYO5EH7ECFMEHA.jpg?smart=true&auth=be8ce7c0100f4f245c5bd9f5dbeceb1b08188f6d6e8b3d6aff0f08658d23ac3f&width=400&height=225)
A boy wears a Captain America mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. AP Photo / Silvia Izquierdo)
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/SLL3TJJBAZSFA3IDTWP4YABKIY.jpg?smart=true&auth=6021dd8976795ea4a614b65dbf7856095336d38cb5c1af483895b3aa670e58fd&width=400&height=225)
Oakland Athletics guest servicers holds up a sign to remind fans to wear mask between inning during the Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics MLB game in Oakland, Califoria, USA,. EPA / JOHN G. MABANGLO
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TJ26QIECS2PE4DBL4ZXAULQTLY.jpg?smart=true&auth=a2601a84b0717706116e74fddc6c13f41f6950db588c356f6cd0889cf7a1ddf7&width=400&height=225)
A passerby wearing a protective face mask walks on the street amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Tokyo, Japan. REUTERS / Stringer
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/SESJ5CWCPCQKOONQDNAFYNJ6DY.jpg?smart=true&auth=e1ea9d8301ac8d339a687531d0f8958e2c49ce4adbb0ffc51321080f95de2200&width=400&height=225)
An Iranian woman wearing a face mask rides a bicycle on a street in Tehran, Iran. According to Iranian health ministry 405 people have died and more than 21.000 new infections were diagnosed from COVID-19 in past 24 hours as Iran is facing fourth wave of coronavirus pandemic. EPA /ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KLYITRVU267AMQE5MV2K5EAZR4.jpg?smart=true&auth=a4fcafd5973080080a6f4fde7bfacce5fa1013bcee4aa6bf3c03f0f080ee4fa0&width=400&height=225)
A woman covers her face with cloth a mask in Bangalore. India is seeing a second wave of the virus which has led several states including Maharashtra and the capital, New Delhi, to impose new restrictions. EPA / JAGADEESH NV
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/2CHLSBEEGYV2AG7R5CHTUHPOYQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=26050c02948691e4cb883c349bd1c9c8cdba77447164004643cd29aa1936035a&width=400&height=225)
A Charlie Chaplin impersonator performs to spread awareness about wearing a mask, on the occasion of Chaplin's birthday, amidst the spread of COVID-19, on a street in Mumbai, India. REUTERS / Francis Mascarenhas
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/YIHHBSAW4ZUF7SLVV2R4NZXFRA.jpg?smart=true&auth=b82c9918071f5af309a943063de2322251e5fa9fdb335344b085387835d79066&width=400&height=225)
A woman wearing a Union Jack face mask stands outside Windsor Castle during the funeral of Britain's Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth, who died at the age of 99. REUTERS / Peter Cziborra
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/G6HIGFV4AUZLN7IXXJCXO6MHFE.jpg?smart=true&auth=066cf8c2690f5865c5beae5c530d5ac3328b4328c2c43e6d59df0150e42e079b&width=400&height=225)
A woman wearing a face mask walks along a street in Moscow on April 15, 2021. / AFP / Yuri KADOBNOV
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/N3JNBWNIHTCT4KWES4C7IHWAZI.jpg?smart=true&auth=cd4e5894b211d8f38f2333dfc3f373873395010d680fb431c7efcb36e07b15e2&width=400&height=225)
A person wearing a face mask stands on a street during the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Naples, Italy. EPA/CESARE ABBATE
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/Q4YVYJ7SERKOQUQ44QPPWGPH7Q.jpg?smart=true&auth=d8dff13d4c7a6b2308f81d4c75fa685d8c9c753209968f99ad6bf880beef4002&width=400&height=225)
William Amos, a Canadian member of Parliament belonging to the Liberal party, gave his colleagues an eyeful during a videoconference. The Canadian Press via AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/NP4VDL22AJP455H3ZZWRNSAD6I.jpg?smart=true&auth=224a13857dfaef0619ccb83d02a3aad7f106092ab760712733e6ed20f55dd3a7&width=400&height=225)
A voter wearing a face mask stands in a queue with others to cast her vote outside a polling station during the fifth phase of West Bengal state elections in Newtown Rajarhat, North 24 Parganas district, India. AP Photo / Bikas Das
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/OMWM7DN7NQ7KYSX7RL6OZ65UIM.jpg?smart=true&auth=5c997a6c7c7abd2e2957885516f9a26183b47e5f6a47f8ff6b77aee958970b15&width=400&height=225)
epa09139376 A woman wears a protective face mask in Bangalore, India, 16 April 2021. India recorded massive surge of 217,353 fresh Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day spike in COVID-19 infections. India is seeing a second wave of the virus which has led several states including Maharashtra and the capital, New Delhi and Bangalore to impose night curfew and new restrictions. EPA/JAGADEESH NV
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5B2CSRIFTZ4ANTOJL5KIGH52CE.jpg?smart=true&auth=d663a849e77b89c0de86d96745718e82f18e3b8a43540a4a418ca7b0731c7680&width=400&height=225)
Anna Elendt puts on a protective face mask after the 100m breaststroke women preliminary at the DSV Olympic Qualification - Europa Sportpark, Berlin, Germany. REUTERS / Annegret Hilse
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/HPPIU5PKQ6QKXMNPYB4T2LYH5A.jpg?smart=true&auth=024671840beab606707dfc448d8b5441694aaacb5f0201e12ea920012be2d002&width=400&height=225)
A woman wears a pink face mask as she walks under cherry trees in full blossom in Bonn, Germany. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TZ2AJXCWYX3C7XN6L7LIAAZQ4A.jpg?smart=true&auth=a22a4bdf93dc6738317f47eaf186b4d6a6904254cc036a6b4ebcf87663cea21d&width=400&height=225)
Muslims, mask-clad due to the coronavirus pandemic, perform the evening prayers during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. AFP / Hussein FALEH
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/V3WQSWLC6GXT5Z6L6G5P22FUZE.jpg?smart=true&auth=ddd2eeef40569c51f1b82bdefcc60c4310a4b9f4dfc9479b5e3e7567bfe54457&width=400&height=225)
A vendor wearing a protective face mask gestures in a shop at Pratunam market in Bangkok on April 16, 2021, as Thailand imposes further restrictions to deal with a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. AFP / Mladen ANTONOV
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/RCDWH4OGQ33ZTLMIW7KID5HZYE.jpg?smart=true&auth=2ba88f428ccc14e5d04a542b809afd4f0a05796657e93832d7d7c1f19115c54c&width=400&height=225)
A woman wearing a black face mask checks her phone on the street amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Madrid, Spain. REUTERS / Susana Vera
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FBDJBXLU43VWWXPT3MD5UNWDXI.jpg?smart=true&auth=c7e651567acc1b51d8d9f6cef4348e2b1a5242f90251f24d33450194c91c1942&width=400&height=225)
An Omani Muslim wearing a protective mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reads the Koran on his mobile during afternoon prayers. AFP / MOHAMMED MAHJOUB
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ZVZL3HLRTD2BTYO5EH7ECFMEHA.jpg?smart=true&auth=be8ce7c0100f4f245c5bd9f5dbeceb1b08188f6d6e8b3d6aff0f08658d23ac3f&width=400&height=225)
A boy wears a Captain America mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. AP Photo / Silvia Izquierdo)
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/SLL3TJJBAZSFA3IDTWP4YABKIY.jpg?smart=true&auth=6021dd8976795ea4a614b65dbf7856095336d38cb5c1af483895b3aa670e58fd&width=400&height=225)
Oakland Athletics guest servicers holds up a sign to remind fans to wear mask between inning during the Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics MLB game in Oakland, Califoria, USA,. EPA / JOHN G. MABANGLO
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TJ26QIECS2PE4DBL4ZXAULQTLY.jpg?smart=true&auth=a2601a84b0717706116e74fddc6c13f41f6950db588c356f6cd0889cf7a1ddf7&width=400&height=225)
A passerby wearing a protective face mask walks on the street amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Tokyo, Japan. REUTERS / Stringer
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/SESJ5CWCPCQKOONQDNAFYNJ6DY.jpg?smart=true&auth=e1ea9d8301ac8d339a687531d0f8958e2c49ce4adbb0ffc51321080f95de2200&width=400&height=225)
An Iranian woman wearing a face mask rides a bicycle on a street in Tehran, Iran. According to Iranian health ministry 405 people have died and more than 21.000 new infections were diagnosed from COVID-19 in past 24 hours as Iran is facing fourth wave of coronavirus pandemic. EPA /ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KLYITRVU267AMQE5MV2K5EAZR4.jpg?smart=true&auth=a4fcafd5973080080a6f4fde7bfacce5fa1013bcee4aa6bf3c03f0f080ee4fa0&width=400&height=225)
A woman covers her face with cloth a mask in Bangalore. India is seeing a second wave of the virus which has led several states including Maharashtra and the capital, New Delhi, to impose new restrictions. EPA / JAGADEESH NV
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/2CHLSBEEGYV2AG7R5CHTUHPOYQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=26050c02948691e4cb883c349bd1c9c8cdba77447164004643cd29aa1936035a&width=400&height=225)
A Charlie Chaplin impersonator performs to spread awareness about wearing a mask, on the occasion of Chaplin's birthday, amidst the spread of COVID-19, on a street in Mumbai, India. REUTERS / Francis Mascarenhas
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/YIHHBSAW4ZUF7SLVV2R4NZXFRA.jpg?smart=true&auth=b82c9918071f5af309a943063de2322251e5fa9fdb335344b085387835d79066&width=400&height=225)
A woman wearing a Union Jack face mask stands outside Windsor Castle during the funeral of Britain's Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth, who died at the age of 99. REUTERS / Peter Cziborra
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/G6HIGFV4AUZLN7IXXJCXO6MHFE.jpg?smart=true&auth=066cf8c2690f5865c5beae5c530d5ac3328b4328c2c43e6d59df0150e42e079b&width=400&height=225)
A woman wearing a face mask walks along a street in Moscow on April 15, 2021. / AFP / Yuri KADOBNOV
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/N3JNBWNIHTCT4KWES4C7IHWAZI.jpg?smart=true&auth=cd4e5894b211d8f38f2333dfc3f373873395010d680fb431c7efcb36e07b15e2&width=400&height=225)
A person wearing a face mask stands on a street during the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Naples, Italy. EPA/CESARE ABBATE
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/Q4YVYJ7SERKOQUQ44QPPWGPH7Q.jpg?smart=true&auth=d8dff13d4c7a6b2308f81d4c75fa685d8c9c753209968f99ad6bf880beef4002&width=400&height=225)
William Amos, a Canadian member of Parliament belonging to the Liberal party, gave his colleagues an eyeful during a videoconference. The Canadian Press via AP
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/NP4VDL22AJP455H3ZZWRNSAD6I.jpg?smart=true&auth=224a13857dfaef0619ccb83d02a3aad7f106092ab760712733e6ed20f55dd3a7&width=400&height=225)
A voter wearing a face mask stands in a queue with others to cast her vote outside a polling station during the fifth phase of West Bengal state elections in Newtown Rajarhat, North 24 Parganas district, India. AP Photo / Bikas Das
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/OMWM7DN7NQ7KYSX7RL6OZ65UIM.jpg?smart=true&auth=5c997a6c7c7abd2e2957885516f9a26183b47e5f6a47f8ff6b77aee958970b15&width=400&height=225)
epa09139376 A woman wears a protective face mask in Bangalore, India, 16 April 2021. India recorded massive surge of 217,353 fresh Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day spike in COVID-19 infections. India is seeing a second wave of the virus which has led several states including Maharashtra and the capital, New Delhi and Bangalore to impose night curfew and new restrictions. EPA/JAGADEESH NV
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5B2CSRIFTZ4ANTOJL5KIGH52CE.jpg?smart=true&auth=d663a849e77b89c0de86d96745718e82f18e3b8a43540a4a418ca7b0731c7680&width=400&height=225)
Anna Elendt puts on a protective face mask after the 100m breaststroke women preliminary at the DSV Olympic Qualification - Europa Sportpark, Berlin, Germany. REUTERS / Annegret Hilse
Coronavirus: a guide to countries relaxing rules on masks
Some countries have dropped mandatory masks with varying degrees of success, while others are now imposing stricter rules
![Daniel Bardsley](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Farc-authors%2Fthenational%2F4dcffed7-67d1-4c6f-b468-84a82d1ddd22.png?smart=true&auth=e4d7a6e3c76d7ec922e25339bc18538c62bc925936c2316006dc89b8a7becdc6&width=70&height=70)
Daniel Bardsley
19 April, 2021
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