PETALING JAYA: The use of face masks will no longer be mandatory in most indoor settings effective immediately, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin has announced.
However, Khairy said premises owners will still have the right to decide if their customers need to wear masks.
He also said that masks must still be worn by symptomatic and Covid-positive individuals, those using public transportation like trains and buses, e-hailing services, planes, and school and factory buses, and at healthcare facilities.
However, high-risk individuals such as the elderly, those with chronic diseases, and pregnant women are highly encouraged to continue donning masks when indoors.
Khairy said the same applied to those carrying out activities in the company of high-risk individuals.
“The health ministry still strongly encourages that face masks be worn in crowded areas like night markets, stadiums and shopping malls,” he said.
He said the ministry would continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation both locally and abroad, while ensuring that health services were at optimal conditions.
The government first made face masks mandatory both outdoors and indoors on Aug 1, 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It relaxed the mask mandate on May 1, with people no longer required to wear one when outdoors.
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