1 in 4 still to wear masks in Japan despite eased COVID rules: poll

One in four people in Japan have said in a survey they will continue to wear face masks in all social settings, even after COVID-19 guidelines on face coverings are eased on Monday, citing reasons such as infection prevention and habituation.

The move to leave decisions around mask-wearing to individuals is the latest effort by the Japanese government to “normalize” social and economic activities that have been under public health restrictions for the past three years, but the survey indicates that a drastic change in face-covering customs may not occur any time soon.

Since the novel coronavir...