Thailand unmasked: Face-covering mandate tipped to end next month

Health authorities aim to ease the mask-wearing mandate next month. 

People in Thailand may no longer be asked to wear masks outside starting mid-June as the country prepares to classify COVID-19 as an endemic disease in July, according to Kiattiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary of the public health ministry. 

Kiattiphum said his team is “confident” about entering the endemic status as planned amid the improving COVID-19 situation. 

New guidelines are expected to recommend mask wearing only for at-risk individuals, those in enclosed environments, and at crowded gatherings. This decision, however, needs to be finalized by COVID-19 task force.

Mask-wearing remains widespread despite no force of law.

After peaking in late March, new daily cases have declined to a seven-day average of about 5,200.