18 Jun 2020

Wearing face masks on flights - what you need to know

From Checkpoint, 5:16 pm on 18 June 2020

Meanwhile there is confusion over whether passengers will be required to wear masks on trans-Tasman flights or not.

Two sisters who tested positive for Covid-19 this week transitted through Brisbane from the UK and a man in his 60s returned from Pakistan via Melbourne.

Today the Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield said he had asked his team to look at the option of "requiring all passengers to wear masks" on trans-Tasman flights for the duration of the flight.

In a statement the Ministry of Health said "medical grade masks should be offered to passengers on international flights and they should be strongly encouraged to use these masks as a precautionary measure while on board," but Air New Zealand has just told Checkpoint whilst masks will be offered on flights, it won't be compulsory to wear them.

Amy Williams reports.