Masks on QF International Flights

Saw this article in SMH about QF lifting mask mandate on certain international flights where the destination doesn't require masks to be worn. Will be interesting to see how this plays out and how many people keep wearing them, and how many people stop wearing them even on flights when they are meant to be required.

Qantas to lift mask requirement on some international flights

Qantas says it will soon allow passengers to travel without masks on some international flights, even though face coverings remain compulsory on all domestic services.

www.smh.com.au

 

[OATEK]

You can live your life by wearing a mask on public transport or on a plane. Give covid to someone and they can’t for seven days. Two sides to the coin.

‘high density’ does not mean a handful of people. It refers to lots of people in forced close proximity to each other. Like public transport or a plane.

Time to trust the real science of vaccination, and forget the pseudo science of ill-fitting surgical masks, that are re-used until the elastic breaks. You see them littering particularly around railway stations where the damaged masks frequently seem to like to congregate. And the mantra around social distancing has been discarded with impatient people trying to push past on travelators & escalators in shopping centres, railway stations and major thoroughfares. The chance of making a real difference with masks has gone.

 

[justinbrett]

You can live your life by wearing a mask on public transport or on a plane. Give covid to someone and they can’t for seven days. Two sides to the coin.

‘high density’ does not mean a handful of people. It refers to lots of people in forced close proximity to each other. Like public transport or a plane.

Or a pub, nightclub, theatre, stadium, airport, shopping centre - none of which require masks.

Wear a N95 mask if you’re paranoid - the rest of us have moved on. Or - just don’t travel.

The health authorities have a lot to answer for for convincing so many that masks are the silver bullet against COVID, which they have never been.

 

[JohnK]

The health authorities have a lot to answer for for convincing so many that masks are the silver bullet against COVID, which they have never been.

Don't blame the health authorities.

Its quite clear to me this has been a poorly scripted pandemic. Didn't quite pan out the same way as the rehearsal in 2015 and they've changed tack quite a few times.

This isn't over yet we're trying to return to pre Covid very quickly and pretend we've learned nothing. We're supposed to transition to a new normal yet the push is to return to old normal and ignore Covid even existed?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Or a pub, nightclub, theatre, stadium, airport, shopping centre - none of which require masks.

Wear a N95 mask if you’re paranoid - the rest of us have moved on. Or - just don’t travel.

The health authorities have a lot to answer for for convincing so many that masks are the silver bullet against COVID, which they have never been.

Pub, night-club, theatre, shopping centre… all avoidable or able to visited at times when numbers are low.

Public transport to work, or other necessities created by distance such as air travel cannot always be avoided or only used if empty.

It was noted upthread that a person with covid provides the most benefit by wearing a mask, to protect others.

 

[Lynda2475]

Thankfully the majority, QF and the legislators do not agree with you MT, and perfectly healthy people are no longer required to mask up to fly internationally. If you feel uncomfortable you can wear an n95 or not fly. This thread is about flying QFi, no one is forcing you or anyone else to do so.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thankfully the majority, QF and the legislators do not agree with you MT, and perfectly healthy people are no longer required to mask up to fly internationally. If you feel uncomfortable you can wear an n95 or not fly. This thread is about flying QFi, no one is forcing you or anyone else to do so.

Agree… and that’s what the whole debate is about… ‘perfectly healthy’. Unless you’ve just recovered in the last couple of weeks, most people probably can’t give that guarantee?

 

[drron]

You can live your life by wearing a mask on public transport or on a plane. Give covid to someone and they can’t for seven days. Two sides to the coin.

‘high density’ does not mean a handful of people. It refers to lots of people in forced close proximity to each other. Like public transport or a plane.

Except that it is not the whole plane that is exposed. at most 1 or 2 cases on your hypothetical 400 pax plane. studies show that only the closest 2-3 rows are exposed so back in Y 60 people max exposed. In J 8 max and in F 2-4. So moral of the story travel in F.

 

[justinbrett]

Pub, night-club, theatre, shopping centre… all avoidable or able to visited at times when numbers are low.

Public transport to work, or other necessities created by distance such as air travel cannot always be avoided or only used if empty.

It was noted upthread that a person with covid provides the most benefit by wearing a mask, to protect others.

Again, masks are not the silver bullet. If you believe otherwise you’ve been had.

 

[Lynda2475]

Unless you’ve just recovered in the last couple of weeks, most people probably can’t give that guarantee?

They dont have to, if they are not exhibiting symptoms, no need to test or mask up. Like it or not you dont have the power to dictate that others wear a mask to fly just because you think they might unknowingly have covid.

Besides your whole argument falls apart given adults will remove masks to eat or drink on any long haul flight, its unhealthy not to hydrate and young kids (the most likely to be unaccinated and asymptomatic) have never been required to mask up on flights.

 

[RichardMEL]

Masks are definitely not any kind of silver bullet. They're just a part of efforts to mitigate spread. Most sensible people understand this I expect.

 

[JohnK]

Masks are definitely not any kind of silver bullet. They're just a part of efforts to mitigate spread. Most sensible people understand this I expect.

I don't think anyone thinks masks are a silver bullet but used in conjunction with other measures can prevent the spread.

But looks like we're moving past all that and pretend the past 2 years didn't occur.

 

[OATEK]

I don't think anyone thinks masks are a silver bullet but used in conjunction with other measures can prevent the spread.

But looks like we're moving past all that and pretend the past 2 years didn't occur.

I think language matters in this debate. Arguing that masks prevent is a big stretch even with social distancing and hand-washing, as the omicron wave demonstrated. I would agree that masks could reduce spread in certain settings, but prevention is not realistic.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Just steering the thread back on topic if I may.
I landed in LAX yesterday on QF11.
SYD T1 no masks required. In the Flounge about 50% staff and 25% passengers still wearing them.
Told to put masks on at the gate prior to boarding, handing them out to those that didn’t have them.
Usual announcements on board about mask wearing. I was in F so not sure about enforcement elsewhere.
Prior to landing further announcement made that masks to be worn and are required in the terminal.

 

[offshore171]

But looks like we're moving past all that and pretend the past 2 years didn't occur.

The opposite. It's precisely because of what people went through over the last 2 years.

95%+ of the community have put their trust in the science of vaccination and have dutifully rolled up the sleeve. This was the largest and fastest vaccination campaign in Australia's history.

People went through 2 years of rolling lockdowns, job losses, etc to get to the point where they are now, and rightly they are returning to normal life.

And again, absolutely no one is trying to stop pro-mask people from continuing to make their own choice to mask up. (Except maybe at passport control!)

 

[RichardMEL]

I think language matters in this debate. Arguing that masks prevent is a big stretch even with social distancing and hand-washing, as the omicron wave demonstrated. I would agree that masks could reduce spread in certain settings, but prevention is not realistic.

Agree totally. Hence my use of the word "mitigate" and various things like that, and masks are just part ofthe whole raft of efforts to lessen the spread by things like hand hygiene, barrier technology(masks and used to be face sheilds), social distancing and of course, vaccination. Nothing is 100% specially with a very contagious virus like this.

It definitely does not help any debate to use black and white language like "prevents" (or does not) suggesting an absolute where it's not.

It does disturb me when some people do suggest these absolutes. Even a 95% vaccination rate - which is amazing compared to many parts of the world - is hardly fullproof and again the vaccines help to lessen the impact of the virus (but not the chances of exposure) in most cases. And of course some people can't have a vaccine for various reasons and there are those that choose to not take one (which is their right).

We now have anti viral medications specifically for covid-19 that are very helpful too once exposed (I've had a course of infusions myself) and these are all ways to deal with the virus.

As I type this there is a currently a discussion going on the radio about long covid and that's a whole other issue that potentially will be the main issue in years to come. I sure hope not (but that is not really in the scope of this thread imo)

 

[RichardMEL]

Just steering the thread back on topic if I may.
I landed in LAX yesterday on QF11.
SYD T1 no masks required. In the Flounge about 50% staff and 25% passengers still wearing them.
Told to put masks on at the gate prior to boarding, handing them out to those that didn’t have them.
Usual announcements on board about mask wearing. I was in F so not sure about enforcement elsewhere.
Prior to landing further announcement made that masks to be worn and are required in the terminal.

That confuses me a bit to be honest. Given masks are not required in US airports or on aircraft of course, so surely once off the aircraft (or even possibly technically within US airspace, but I suppose QF onboard rules can apply to their aircraft) you'd be allowed to remove a mask? I'm sure many did anyway (and for immi formalities etc you'd need to)

 

[Princess Fiona]

That confuses me a bit to be honest. Given masks are not required in US airports or on aircraft of course, so surely once off the aircraft (or even possibly technically within US airspace, but I suppose QF onboard rules can apply to their aircraft) you'd be allowed to remove a mask? I'm sure many did anyway (and for immi formalities etc you'd need to)

Not the case at LAX.
Masks are mandatory that’s what they said on the announcement prior to disembarking.
There was a sign at the Global Entry kiosks to remove there while processing. But masks are certainly worn in LAX regardless of what the other US requirements are elsewhere

 

[JohnK]

And again, absolutely no one is trying to stop pro-mask people from continuing to make their own choice to mask up. (Except maybe at passport control!)

Of course they are. Useless piece of plastic is the common theme in these threads.

Personally I think 2 years is the best possible case scenario for lockdowns and restrictions to end. I think it's way too early to get too complacent but looks like we're rushing to get back to where we were before covid. No compromise. Let's get back to old normal because we've suffered for too long. What happened to new normal?

 

[Lynda2475]

Of course they are.

Nope that is simply not true, no one has posted that people shouldn't be able to choose to wear a mask if they want to, just that they shouldn't be able to impose it on others when the regulations do not require it.

 

[drron]

Of course they are. Useless piece of plastic is the common theme in these threads.

Personally I think 2 years is the best possible case scenario for lockdowns and restrictions to end. I think it's way too early to get too complacent but looks like we're rushing to get back to where we were before covid. No compromise. Let's get back to old normal because we've suffered for too long. What happened to new normal?

The new normal was ruining the world's economy. It increased the numbers with mental illness,it has increased the numbers of people dying with heart disease and cancer as they were not getting follow up or because diagnosis was delayed. I'm sorry but another 2 years of the new normal would be far too expensive on the toll of human disease.