TWO airlines yesterday said they will no longer require passengers to wear facemasks on their flights after the national government ended the country’s public health emergency declaration, which was raised due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Facemasks are no longer required on all domestic flights, but wearing these for international destinations remains subject to the existing health protocols in the destination country, according to AirAsia Philippines.
The budget carrier stressed they will continue to deep clean and sanitize their aircraft between flights.
“Although it is no longer a policy, guests and crew may still opt to wear facemasks whenever they deem necessary,” airline spokesperson Steve Dailisan said.
He added: “However, we also want to reiterate that our aircraft are equipped with High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters which filter and block 99.97 percent of airborne particles including known bacteria and viruses.”
Cebu Pacific also said masks are no longer required on their flights.
“Passengers are advised to continue practicing minimum health standards such as washing of hands, disinfecting, and physical distancing when necessary,” the airline said.
It also advised their passengers to check-in online to maintain contactless flight procedures and avoid queuing at the airport check-in counters.
Passengers were also advised to go straight to their gates or proceed to the self-bag tag kiosks before dropping bags off.
The airline’s announcement came shortly after the Department of Transportation said anti-COVID masks and physical distancing are no longer mandatory in public utility vehicles. (ABS-CBN News)
