No homemade face coverings: German airlines mandating passengers to wear higher grade FFP2 or N95 masks

Passengers will be mandated to wear higher-grade masks against Covid-19 when flying German airlines and their subsidiaries, starting next month. Tougher mask rules have also been introduced in malls and on public transport.

The new rules were announced by the German Aviation Association (BDL) on Friday.

Starting from February 1, everyone over the age of six must wear surgical or respirator-type FFP2 and N95 masks on board planes operated by German airlines and inside the country’s airports. These masks better protect against airborne diseases due to stronger filtration.

Simple cloth masks, including homemade ones, and other less secure facial coverings, like face shields and scarves, will not be allowed.

The regulations will apply to Condor, TUI fly, and Lufthansa along with its subsidiaries – Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, and SWISS – when making flights in and out of Germany.

The necessary masks must be brought by passengers themselves, BDL said.

Lufthansa clarified that if a person cannot wear a mask for medical reasons, they must present a medical certificate and a negative Covid-19 test that was taken at least 48 hours before the flight.

Germans were mandated to wear surgical masks, the FFP2s and the N95s on public transport and in supermarkets earlier this week. Similar rules were adopted in neighboring Austria.

On Thursday, French Health Minister Olivier Veran recommended that people stop wearing homemade masks and opt for higher-grade masks with better defense against Covid-19.

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