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| - Gibraltar will end its nightly coronavirus curfew on Thursday and over the weekend will drop a rule mandating the use of face masks on busy streets, the government said. The easing of restrictions is possible because the number of infections is "now extremely low" thanks to a "successful vaccination programme," Minister for Civil Contingencies Samantha Sacramento said. The tiny British territory on Spain's southern coast imposed a 10 pm to 6 am (2100 GMT to 0500 GMT) curfew on December 27 as infections and deaths soared. It was eased on March 14 to between midnight and 5 am. But from Thursday night there will be no more curfew and bars and restaurants will be permitted to remain open until 2 am, the government said in a statement. In addition, as of Sunday masks will no longer be required on Gibraltar's pedestrianised Main Street and its surrounding streets. Face masks will continue to be required in enclosed public spaces, shops and on public transport. "We are at least leaving behind us our deadliest winter and entering our most hopeful spring," Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said. The pandemic has claimed 94 lives in Gibraltar, nearly all of them in January and February this year, and infected more than 4,200 of its roughly 34,000 residents since outbreaks began in 2020. But its hospital is now free of coronavirus patients and only one new infection was reported in the past week. Dubbed "Operation Freedom", Gibraltar's vaccination campaign is among the fastest in Europe, with over 24,000 people, or 70 percent of its population, already fully vaccinated. The government expects to have offered the required two vaccine to every resident by mid-April. ds/mg/dl
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