Face Masks No Longer A Must in US, Israel; Luhut Pandjaitan Responds

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The deputy of the handling of COVID-19 committee, Luhut Pandjaitan, on Monday during his visit to the Sopo Del Tower in South Jakarta was asked about the fact that some countries are no longer obliging its vaccinated citizens to wear face masks. 

“There’s no need to do so, we will continue to wear face masks since our air quality is polluted. There’s also no harm in wearing one,” said Luhut Pandjaitan after attending an event held by Del Foundation in South Jakarta on March 31. 

As numerous international news agencies have reported for the past couple of weeks, two of the most notable countries allowing no-mask public activities are the United States of America and Israel.

The former has made it official since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its policy on face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The second country is Israel, which no longer requires its citizens who have received COVID-19 vaccine shots, to wear masks during outside activities. According to Times of Israel the country’s government claimed that its mass vaccination was a success.

However, Luhut Pandjaitan allowed people to remove their masks for specific moments such as briefly taking pictures and dining out. "But we must continue to wear masks in moments of gathering like now.”

Read: Experts Suggest Double Face Masks against New COVID Variant

FAJAR PEBRIANTO