Major British airlines and London’s biggest airport are choosing to drop their mask requirements, two days before the British government is lifting all remaining restrictions on international travel.
The Boris Johnson government announced this week that pandemic restrictions on international airline passengers would be coming to an end on Mar. 18. The move is in stark contrast to Canada, where Trudeau’s Liberal government is opting to maintain mask and vaccine mandates, and with no end in sight.
U.K. low-cost airline Jet 2 was the first to drop its mask requirement on flights to and from England, and Northern Ireland. Leisure airline TUI followed suit and removed the requirement for flights to and from the two regions.
The U.K.’s flag carrier British Airways had announced plans to end its mandatory masking policy on Mar. 16, except for flights to and from destinations where masks are legally required.
However, it is now being reported that the airline has postponed the debut of its new policy.
The U.K.’s other major airline, Virgin Atlantic, is also relaxing its mask requirements.
The carrier said in a tweet that it believes “customers should have the personal choice” when it comes to masking.
London’s Heathrow Airport, the biggest in the country, is also lifting its requirement that visitors wear masks. Its Chief operating officer Emma Gilthorpe said she is pleased with the decision.
“While we still recommend wearing them,” Gilthorpe said, “we can be confident the investments we’ve made in Covid-secure measures – some of which aren’t always visible – combined with the fantastic protection provided by the vaccine will continue to keep people safe while travelling.”
Meanwhile, mask and vaccine mandates for air travel remain in place in Canada, with no end in sight. This is despite the fact that Canada has a higher vaccination rate than the United Kingdom.
The Trudeau government will announce plans Thursday to lift pre-departure testing requirements on Apr. 1, but only for vaccinated individuals.
Those wishing to enter Canada must currently show a negative antigen test result taken the day before, or a negative PCR test result taken in the last 72 hours.
While the Canadian government is planning to ease testing requirements, sources say it will maintain other measures such as the ArriveCan app and random PCR testing at Canadian airports.
Government PCR testing at Canadian airports has reportedly cost taxpayers over a billion dollars.
Sources say Trudeau plans to continue with his mask and vaccine mandates, which some have called “divisive” and “unscientific.”
Conservative Party MP’s forced a vote in the House of Commons on Feb. 14 demanding the government provide a plan to lift all federal mandates and restrictions.
The motion was defeated by the Liberals with the support of the NDP.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson also lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in England on Feb. 21, including mandatory isolation requirements.
In Canada, unvaccinated individuals are still not permitted to board domestic flights or trains.
