EU lifts mask requirement on planes and at airports

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The obligation to wear mouth-nose protection at airports and during flights will be lifted in the European Union (EU) from May 16. The announcement was made Wednesday by the EU’s aviation safety authorities EASA and health protection agency ECDC.

Continue to keep a distance
That’s in line with changes in public transport requirements by national authorities across Europe, EASA chief Patrick Ky said. Italy, France, and other countries have already lifted corresponding Corona measures. In Germany, the mask requirement still applies in public transport; in Austria, it also applies in public transport, bus stops, train stations, and cabs.

Airlines were advised to encourage passengers to wear masks if it was still mandatory for public transport. ECDC Director Andrea Ammon said that even if there was no longer a requirement to wear mouth-nose protection, people should still keep their distance and wash their hands to avoid contagion.

General sigh of relief

In France, wearing masks on buses and trains will be eliminated starting Monday. “This is in line with our strategy to continue reducing restrictions,” Health Minister Olivier Véran said Wednesday in Paris. “The situation is improving, even if we are not quite through the fifth wave,” he added. “That lets us all breathe a sigh of relief, especially with temperatures rising.”

However, masks must continue to be worn in hospitals and nursing homes. Véran said vaccination or a negative test must continue to be demonstrated there. The incidence is currently 405 cases per 100,000 population per week in France. There are still nearly 1400 covid patients in intensive care units nationwide.