Call to review Covid-19 mask wearing aboard aircraft

There is an "urgent need" to review Irish Government and European protocols requiring airline passengers to wear masks aboard aircraft, according to Aer Lingus.

The airline said while it follows rules as set out, the situation has changed following United States and United Kingdom decisions on mask wearing. And this has prompted the need for a rethink here.

On Monday it emerged that US authorities will no longer enforce wearing masks on aircraft, trains or buses following a Florida court ruling.

In response to that, an Aer Lingus spokeswoman said it follows the Irish Government "protocol for the management of air passengers in light of Covid-19", a position informed by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and European Centre for Disease prevention and Control (ECDC) protocol. Both provide for the wearing of masks.

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“However, in light of the Florida court decision regarding the United States mask mandate and the fact the United Kingdom does not require the wearing of masks on board, there is now an urgent need to review both the Irish Government and EASA-ECDC protocols in order to remove the provisions regarding the wearing of masks on board,” she said.

Any such move would only follow a broader relaxation of coronavirus restrictions. But it would likely lead to unease among some passengers.

What are requirements?

At present passengers arriving into the State no longer have to present Covid-19 travel documents, including evidence of vaccination, recovery or tests.

US district judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, Florida, dropped the mask requirement nationwide and directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reverse its policy of February, 2021. It followed a lawsuit filed last year by the Health Freedom Defense Fund, a non-profit group focused on "bodily autonomy" as a human right.

Following the Florida decision, US health authorities continued to urge passengers to wear face masks in indoor public transport settings.

However, United Airlines, American, Delta, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines have now said masks are optional on their planes.