BERLIN –
The European Union will no longer recommend wearing medical masks at airports and aircraft next week amid easing restrictions on coronavirus across the bloc, although member states may still require them, officials said on Wednesday.
The European Union’s Aviation Safety Agency said it hoped the joint decision with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control would mark a “big step forward in normalizing air travel” for passengers and crews.
The new guideline “takes into account the latest developments in the pandemic, in particular the levels of vaccination and naturally acquired immunity, as well as the concomitant lifting of restrictions in a growing number of European countries,” the joint statement said.
“However, passengers need to behave responsibly and respect the choices of others around them,” said EASA Executive Director Patrick Kai. “And a traveler who coughs and sneezes should think hard about wearing a face mask to reassure those sitting nearby.
Although the new recommendations take effect on May 16, mask rules may still vary depending on the airline after that date if flying to or from destinations where the rules are different.
The German Ministry of Health has said it will continue to require all passengers over the age of 6 to wear medical masks on flights to, from or within the country, although they can be removed during meals.
Last week, the German carrier Lufthansa refused to allow a large group of Jewish passengers to board a plane because some of them refused to wear masks. The airline has since apologized for the incident.
The director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Andrea Amon, said hand washing and social distancing should still be practiced, but airport operators are advised not to impose distance requirements if it is likely to lead to difficulties.
The agencies also recommended that airlines maintain systems to collect location information for passengers in standby mode in case they are needed in the future, for example if a new dangerous option emerges.
Airlines welcomed the change in guidelines and called for a coherent approach to camouflage mandates.
“We believe that the requirements for aircraft masks should cease when masks are no longer mandatory in other parts of everyday life, such as theaters, offices or public transport,” said Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Association. transport.
The decline in reported cases of COVID-19 in recent weeks has prompted countries in Europe to lift pandemic restrictions.
Germany said on Wednesday it was disbanding a crisis task force tasked with leading the official response.
And the French government announced separately on Wednesday that people will no longer have to wear face masks in any form of public transport from Monday.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Health Minister Olivier Veran said the decision was part of policies to remove most restrictions as the pandemic slows in the country.
French authorities reported this week about 39,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on average each day, down 30% from last week. The number of patients in hospitals has also been steadily declining in recent weeks.
Wearing face masks will no longer be necessary on the subway, buses, trains and domestic flights. It is still required in hospitals and nursing homes, Veran said.
France lifted most coronavirus restrictions in March.
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Sylvie Corbett of Paris contributed to this report
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