Japanese airlines stop requiring masks on board from March 13

Japanese airlines will no longer require passengers to wear face masks on flights, starting March 13. The Airline Association of Japan, which has 19 members including ANA and JAL, announced Tuesday that it will leave it up to individual passengers whether to wear masks on board planes and at airports. The decision follows the government's downgrading of COVID-19 under the Infectious Disease Control Law. The policy will also apply to passengers and airline employees. The wearing of masks has never been mandatory in Japan but was a government recommendation, particularly in enclosed environments such as on planes. However, the government had said that as of March 13, it would lift the recommendation. Shinichi Inoue, chairman of the association and president of ANA, said, however, that passenger safety was still a priority, "We will continue our efforts to ensure that our customers can use our aircraft with peace of mind."<br/>