The rules for wearing face masks when traveling abroad remain complex for British holidaymakers, as EU countries adopt different approaches. The European Union has announced that masks will no longer be required for passengers on flights to many EU countries as of Monday (May 16th). The announcement coincided with that of the French health minister, who said masks would no longer be required on trains, planes and the metro in France.
However, the main holiday destinations in the UK, including Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain, follow the mask rule. Italy has said passengers must wear more protective FFP2 masks on public transport by June 15th. In Spain, the restrictions, which came into force in July 2020, were due to be lifted on May 15, but last Saturday the Spanish Interior Ministry said it was postponed until midnight on June 15.
Last week, the European Union’s Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) released an update on health safety measures when traveling by plane. They dropped the recommendation to wear masks at airports and flights, while noting that the mask is still one of the best safeguards against Covid-19 transmission.
“From next week, masks will no longer be mandatory for air travel in all cases, and are broadly in line with changing national public transport requirements across Europe,” said EASA Executive Director Patrick Key. “For passengers and flight crews, this is a big step forward in the normalization of air transport. However, passengers must behave responsibly and respect the choices of others around them. And a traveler who coughs and sneezes should carefully consider wearing a mask to reassure those sitting nearby.
However, holidaymakers will have to check the rules for individual countries and airlines, as the rules continue to differ: Ryanair has removed the requirement for masks, but easyJet says masks are optional for a small number of flights, but mandatory in most cases.
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