Please do not lift mask mandate yet

THE government has declared that we are in the transition phase to becoming endemic, and are gradually lifting restrictions. Many other countries have already lifted certain restrictions, including the mask mandate.

However, the World Health Organisation has repeatedly expressed caution that “endemic” does not necessarily mean better or milder, and that the pandemic is not over yet. New variants of concern may emerge and some may have a greater ability to evade the protection that vaccines currently offer.