More than 2 1/2 years into the coronavirus pandemic, airline passengers in Mexico can finally take their face masks off.

The federal government announced Tuesday that the use of masks is no longer mandatory in airports and airplanes.

The Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) made the announcement in a statement after noting that the government had issued new COVID guidelines advising that the use of masks should no longer be obligatory in outdoor and indoor spaces.

The agency acknowledged that the government recommends the ongoing use of masks in enclosed spaces with little or no ventilation, but asserted that airports are made up of “large and sufficiently ventilated spaces,” while planes have High-Efficiency Particulate Air filters that “eliminate 99.9% of macro-particles, bacterias and viruses.”

“For that reason, we inform that from this date, and while health authorities don’t change health protocols relevant to the use of face masks, the use of masks will not be compulsory in airport facilities or aircraft passenger cabins,” said AFAC, which is part of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport.

However, airline and airport staff should direct anyone with symptoms of COVID or other respiratory diseases to use a face mask to prevent contagion to others, the agency said, adding that aforementioned personnel should always have a “sufficient quantity of masks” to distribute to passengers “if necessary.”

Mexico News Daily