Update 5 May: Air France has now also announced that passengers will be
required to wear a face mask throughout their journey from 11 May. The airline
is notifying all customers of the policy change prior to their departure to
ensure they bring their own mask for their flight. The carrier said this will
ensure enhanced health protection measures where social distancing is not
possible due to high load factors. In addition, all crew members and agents in
contact with passengers are required to wear masks, while social distancing
measures will be implemented at airports and aircraft will be subject to
enhanced cleaning procedures. Meal and beverage services have been suspended on
short and medium-haul flights in Europe to limit interaction between cabin crew
and passengers and a limited service is in operation on long-haul flights.
The headline of this article has been amended to reflect the new Air France policy.
From 4 May, all Eurostar passengers are required to wear a
face mask or covering at stations and on board trains or else risk being refused
travel.
A notice on the high-speed rail link’s website says it is
following guidelines announced by the French and Belgian governments for people
to wear face masks in public. Those who do not comply in those countries risk
facing a fine.
For Eurostar services, “any type of mask is suitable as long
as it effectively covers your nose and mouth”, but passengers can be refused
travel if they are not wearing the appropriate covering.
Similar measures are being introduced on airlines around the
world, including three of the major US-based carriers and Lufthansa.