MASKS NOT MANDATORY IN AIRPORTS, FLIGHTS: GOVT

NEW DELHI: Air travellers will no longer need to mandatorily wear a face covering while at the airport or on board a flight, the aviation ministry said on Wednesday, in an order issued to airlines directing them to inform passengers that wearing face masks was “preferred”, not a must.

The change comes when the world has gone the longest without an active Covid-19 wave since the Omicron outbreak early in the year, and widespread population-level immunity. The ministry said the matter regarding the requirement for mandatory use of mask during air travel was reviewed by them in consultation with health ministry.