The federal government is making non-medical masks mandatory for everyone still flying in Canada starting on April 20th. Passengers won’t have to wear it all the time though.
Yes, to many people’s surprise, there are still flights operating in Canada and there are still people flying. Based on last week’s stats, that Flytrippers obtained exclusively from the CATSA, around 4,000 people per day were leaving from a Canadian airport (which is likely still a historic low).
This new Transport Canada regulation will apply to all air passengers.
Mandatory Masks
While the World Health Organization has advised against wearing medical masks if you are not experiencing symptoms, Canada has now recommended wearing non-medical masks when going out in general.
Again, this won’t really protect you, but it protects others in case you are asymptomatic—as many coronavirus-infected people are.
And airports and airplanes really aren’t ideal for social distancing. I noticed when coming back to Canada and then Kevin did too when returning from Thailand, in fact, that’s likely how he was infected by the coronavirus himself.
And Canada’s screening and preventative measures in airports (or lack thereof) have been strongly criticized in the past weeks.
The Canadian government has therefore implemented a new rule: every passenger will be required to travel with a non-medical mask or face covering.
It won’t be mandatory to wear it all the time, but it will be mandatory to cover mouth and nose in instances were the distance of 2 meters can’t be maintained and when airline personnel or other officials ask passengers to wear it.
This applies to all flights departing or arriving in Canada, and passengers will be asked to show their mask during the boarding process. This takes effect on Monday April 20th.
For those traveling by ferry, train, or even public transit, the government also recommends a mask or face covering to protect others.
Summary
Everyone flying in Canada will need to travel with a non-medical mask or face covering.
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Featured image: fliers with masks at ATL (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
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