Face masks now compulsory on SWISS flights

Most passengers had voluntarily worn masks during flights. Keystone / Rodrigo Abd

Swiss International Air Lines says it is making it compulsory for passengers to wear face masks during flights. The government has ordered face masks to be worn on trains, buses and trams in Switzerland and SWISS has decided to voluntarily follow this precaution on its aircraft.

The airline had until now highly recommended wearing masks throughout the duration of flights – passengers had only been obliged to wear them when boarding and disembarking from planes. However, practically all passengers have been wearing masks for the whole flying time so the new directive should have little impact, the airline said.

With more than 30,000 coronavirus infections and some 2,000 deaths, Switzerland is taking measures to try to stave off a second wave of the pandemic. Over the last two weeks, numbers of new infections have been rising, causing some concern.

From Monday, passengers on all trains, trams, buses, cable cars and boats are obliged to wear face covering masks. Few commuters bothered to wear masks on public transport when the precaution was voluntary. But Swiss Federal Railways said on Monday morning that people were obeying the new rules.

Also from Monday, people arriving into Switzerland from “high risk” countries must go into quarantine for ten days. An initial list of 29 countries, including the United States and Russia, was published last week and will be continually updated.

Airports have also introduced a range of new measures to make flying safer. These include the distribution of disinfectant handwash dispensers, floor markings and opening extra passport control booths to help social distancing and the installation of plastic screens.