There has been relaxation on Covid-19 related rules in England and France, resulting in London Heathrow and Paris Airports of Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (Ory) dropping the requirement of wearing masks inside terminals.
The mask-wearing at Paris airports ended on Monday (March 14) and is coming to an end at Heathrow from Wednesday (March 16).
However, you have to keep a few masks with you because whether you require to wear one on board or not depends on your destination and airline.
Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have already announced that they will drop the mask requirement to/from destinations that don’t require one.
Announcement from Paris Airports:
⚠ From March 14th, new health rules set up by French @gouvernementFR for passengers travelling from/to Paris-#CDG & Paris-#Orly:
✔ Wearing of mask suspended inside French airport terminals,
😷 Wearing of mask maintained on board planes.
More info ➡ https://t.co/yHX3hkmjGf— Paris Aéroport (@ParisAeroport) March 13, 2022
And From Heathrow:
Heathrow removes face covering mandate at UK’s hub airport
- From Wednesday 16 March, face coverings at Heathrow will no longer be mandated in Heathrow terminals, rail stations or office buildings
- British Airways and Virgin Atlantic welcomed the move, signalling they will be revising their onboard face covering policies as well
- Change in policy comes amid continued success of the vaccination programme and as society learns to live with COVID longer term
- An extensive array of other COVID-secure measures remain in place and face coverings will be available at the airport for those wanting to wear them
Those travelling through Heathrow will no longer be required to wear a face covering after the airport announced that it is moving away from a mandate from Wednesday 16 March. In recognition that the pandemic is not over, Heathrow strongly encourages those at the airport to continue wearing a face covering – particularly when coming into close contact with others – although this will no longer be a firm requirement. The change mirrors steps taken by other transport organisations in the UK, and applies across all of Heathrow’s terminals, bus and railway stations and office spaces.
Heathrow’s home carriers British Airways and Virgin Atlantic welcomed the move, signalling that they were preparing to follow suit by dropping the face covering requirement onboard their aircraft as soon as regulatory requirements for their destinations allow. We encourage passengers to check onboard face covering requirements with their airlines before travelling.
The removal of the mandatory requirement reflects society’s move towards learning to live with COVID longer term. It is now possible because of the continued strong protection provided by vaccination programmes around the world. Heathrow will maintain a wide-array of COVID-secure measures – including enhanced ventilation in all terminal buildings – which will help keep people safe on their journeys through the airport. Should a significant rise in COVID cases or a future variant of concern materialise, Heathrow will not hesitate to reinstate the mandatory use of face coverings at the airport.
Face coverings will remain available at the airport to support those who wish to continue wearing them. We know some passengers may feel vulnerable, and we are encouraging colleagues to be respectful and put on a face covering when near a passenger who requests it.
Conclusion
I am sure that some rejoice in this move, but personally, I am indifferent, as I have been accustomed to using masks over the past two years.
You also have to keep in mind that, as long as there are test requirements during travels, you may end up having to quarantine, at your expense, for up to two weeks at a foreign destination if you test positive, even when asymptomatic.
Airlines have promoted how safe air travel is regarding covid-infections, but there is the Emirates study from New Zealand, where one passenger ended up infecting many.
