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Do people in Germany still have to wear Covid masks on planes?

The Local Germany
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Do people in Germany still have to wear Covid masks on planes?
Passengers make their way through Stuttgart airport departures. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sebastian Gollnow

With the EU changing its Covid recommendations for flights, there is some confusion around whether people boarding a plane in Germany will still need to wear a mask. Here's what we know so far.

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As of Monday, the aviation safety agency EASA and the EU health authority ECDC no longer recommend mandatory Covid masks in airports and on planes.

However, if masks are compulsory at the point of departure or destination, this should continue to apply in aircraft as well, they say.

So, what does this mean for passengers boarding flights in Germany? At the moment, not very much at all. 

In Germany, the Infection Protection Act still stipulates that masks have to be worn on long-distance trains and planes. Masks are also compulsory on local public transport.

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The previous weeks have seen Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) come out in favour of scrapping compulsory masks - especially on flights.

But so far, nothing concrete has been done to change the Infection Protection Act, which is due to expire on September 23rd. 

READ ALSO: German politicians row over lifting mandatory Covid mask rule

What are the current rules on flights? 

According to the Federal Ministry of Health, masks are compulsory on all flights taking off or landing in Germany.

FFP2 or medical masks must be worn when boarding and disembarking and throughout the flight, though they can be removed when eating and drinking.

Children under the age of six are exempt from the mask-wearing requirement. 

The ministry has argued that the obligation to wear masks also complies with the new EU recommendations. 

What are the rules across the EU? 

In general, the relaxed EU recommendation does not mean that masks are no longer compulsory on all flights. However, many countries have kept this measure in place as a simple way to reduce infection. 

Europe's largest low-cost airline, Ryanair, published a list of 14 EU countries in which national laws continue to require the wearing of face masks to prevent the spread of Covid.

Besides Germany, popular tourist destinations such as Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy and France are included on the list. 

In other EU countries, the airline said it would be dropping mandatory masks on flights, adding that it "welcomed" the relaxed recommendations from the EU health authorities.  

READ ALSO: Will Germany soon get rid of mandatory face masks on public transport?

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Anonymous 2022/06/27 08:45
Flew to Britain and back last weekend - again, masks were not required. On the way back, they said we had to wear a mask, only 1/2 put them on. Staff didn't enforce.
Anonymous 2022/05/23 09:52
I flew to Romania on 16/5 and was not required to wear a mask onboard. On the return flight on 20/5, also, no mask was required on the flight. A mask was still required on the train ride from the airport home however. I think only the airlines will enforce it if the want to.

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