BEIJING’S subway lifted the mask-wearing requirement for passengers, local media reported today, days after a Chinese health expert said the threat of COVID-19 to humans is no longer at a serious level.

The move is in line with measures taken more generally in China, where it was announced last week that wearing a protective mask on public transport is no longer mandatory, according to state media.

“It’s like an era has ended,” said a user on Chinese platform Xiaohongshu, as social media flooded with posts about the loosening of the rules.

Workers at subway stations in Beijing removed signs and notices reminding passengers to wear masks, according to the Beijing Daily newspaper.

The pandemic is nearing its end, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), said Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Prevention and Control, according to China Daily.

China, which lifted its strict COVID rules in December, said the latest official data showed the rate of COVID positivity rose marginally in early April, according to the Global Times. But respiratory disease experts said it was unlikely China would experience another major wave of infections nationwide.

Some social media users have expressed concerns about the relaxation of mask rules, saying the virus remains a threat.

“Let’s hope there won’t be a second wave of infections,” wrote a Weibo user.

Mask wearing is optional on public transport, supermarkets, movie theaters and other crowded places, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Masks remain mandatory in case someone tests positive for COVID or shows symptoms, when there is a local outbreak of the disease, as well as in health facilities and nursing homes, according to the publication.