The obligation to wear medical masks of the FFP2 type on board aircraft, a measure that was originally included in the German Infection Protection Act, will be abolished, DPA and Agerpres reported.

At the same time, the law now stipulates that FFP2 masks must be worn not only on long-distance trains, in hospitals and nursing homes, but also in medical offices.

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach told DPA on Monday:

“Vaccination and hygienic masks remain the best protection against the expected wave of Omicron infection. So we use both.” “Masks should be like that in medical offices,” he added.

“As long as the pandemic situation allows, masks will not be required on airplanes. However, in this case it is still recommended to wear masks. This is not a problem of rules, but of common sense,” the German minister also said.

The announcement of this change was first reported by Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).

The aviation industry is protesting against the mandatory wearing of protective masks on board planes

According to the current legislation, it is mandatory to wear a hygienic mask on airplanes until September 23.

As for air travel, it has been proposed that the federal government could impose a mask-wearing obligation for passengers and staff on board by decree without the approval of Germany’s upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, according to a proposal made available by the DPA.

The legislative proposal refers to FFP2 masks or plain surgical masks.

The aviation industry has long protested the mandatory use of face masks on board planes, arguing that the measure no longer applies in other areas of daily life and in other countries.

Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, is expected to pass the provisions of the Act on Protection against Infections regarding the coronavirus this fall on Thursday.

Since May, the European Union has waived the obligation to wear masks in airports and airplanes in Europe.

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