You can now add Canada to the list of countries requiring passengers to travel with face masks.

Canada's Minister of Transport has announced some new travel restrictions that kick in as of 12PM EDT on Monday, April 20, 2020. Essentially this requires all air passengers to have a non-medical mask or face covering (to cover their nose and mouth) during travel. Passengers need to bring their own protective gear, or else they won't be allowed to travel.

With these new restrictions:

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  • At Canadian airport security checkpoints, passengers will be asked to wear a mask, since screeners can't always keep two meters of separation between themselves and travelers
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  • Passengers on all flights departing or arriving at Canadian airports will be required to demonstrate that they have a non-medical mask or face covering during the boarding process, or else they won't be allowed to continue on their journey
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  • Passengers will be asked to wear a mask or face covering when they can't physically distance from others, so presumably this includes when you're on a full flight

Passengers may need to wear masks on full flights

As the Minister of Transport explains, wearing a non-medical mask or face covering over the mouth and nose is another way to prevent your respiratory droplets from contaminating others or landing on surfaces, which is why this policy is being implemented.

Masks will be needed at Canadian security checkpoints

Bottom line

Canada is now requiring airline passengers to travel with face masks. They only consistently need to be worn at security, while onboard planes they need to be worn when social distancing isn't possible.

I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering what the future of air travel will look like, and whether wearing masks may just eventually become a standard part of the flying experience.

What do you make of the requirement to wear masks - would you like to see a policy like this expanded?
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