The Biden administration was giving it serious thought. With the transforming the Covid pandemic into an endemic diseaseIn May, the civil aviation authorities were seriously considering the possibility of abolishing the compulsory wearing of masks.
And then, at the beginning of the week, a judge's ruling in Florida brought things to a head. Lhe compulsory wearing of masks in the United States has been ruled illegalThe authorities immediately took note.
Since 19 April, it has no longer been compulsory to wear a mask. on public transport. American Airlines, Alaska, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Southwest and United immediately decided to take advantage of the new rule. From now on, masks will be optional. The measure also applies to trains and public transport.
Europe in hybrid mode
In Europe, we are still a long way from such generalisation, but it seems likely that this is where we're heading. The United Kingdom is the most advanced. British Airways, Easyjet or Virgin Atlantic have removed the mask port to destinations that have also removed it. This is the case for flights to Caribbean islands, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Iceland, Hungary or Poland. This will also be the case for the United States.
In the same way, Icelandair also has a selective policy adapted to each country. From now on, the masks will be off the United States and the United Kingdom, but not on Germany or France. SAS Scandinavian Airlines was also one of the first to abolish the mask requirement between the three Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway and Sweden). This requirement was abolished last October. The measure will now be extended to the United States.
KLM has indicated that it will warn passengers before departure if the mask can be removed. As in France, the Netherlands continues to require air passengers to wear a mask... In FranceHowever, we can expect a probable revision of the protocol after the general election. Just a little more patience!
