Spain to maintain mask-wearing mandate on planes

On Wednesday, the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) announced that they were withdrawing the recommendation for wearing masks. Spain's health minister, Carolina Darias, has responded to this announcement by saying that the government will be maintaining the requirement for masks on planes and other public transport, noting that this doesn't apply to airport buildings, railway station platforms, bus stops or similar.

Darias says that health measures are guided by expert advice and the unanimous approval of the Inter-Territorial Council for the National Health System (regional government health authorities).

Rules on mask-wearing are likely to vary from country to country, with airlines being asked to encourage passengers to wear masks on flights to or from destinations where there is still the requirement for this.