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Lufthansa requiring negative coronavirus test to fly without a mask
By Janine Puhak
Published August 26, 2020
No mask? No problem – with exceptions.
Lufthansa is now requiring passengers who claim they cannot wear a facial covering for medical reasons to provide a negative coronavirus test, as well as a doctor’s note, in order to fly without a mask.
The German airline group announced the news earlier this week in an update that will take effect Sept. 1.
Lufthansa is now requiring passengers who claim they cannot wear a facial covering for medical reasons to provide a negative coronavirus test, as well as a doctor’s note, in order to fly without a mask. (iStock)
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Previously, the group’s carriers, which include Lufthansa German Airlines, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Eurowings and Brussels Airlines, had allowed in-flight mask exemptions with just proof of a medical certificate for verification. The certificate, which requires a doctor's signature, says the passenger cannot wear a mask "due to an underlying medical condition" but is still fit to fly.
Now, passengers must also provide a negative PCR test for COVID-19, taken within 48 hours of departure.
"This ensures maximum safety for the passengers travelling with them," Lufthansa said in a statement of the new rule.
The German airline group's update will take effect Sept. 1. (iStock)
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Lufthansa’s member airlines have required masks in the high skies since early May, the conglomerate said, touting its group as one of the first in the world to do so.
While all customers and cabin crew are required to wear a face mask that covers their mouth and nose on board, children under the age of 6 are exempted from doing so, per carrier group policy.
Lufthansa further stressed that its member carriers follow "extensive hygiene measures" both in flight and on the ground, working with the European Aviation Safety Agency, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and other national authorities to develop and enforce the highest health standards in commercial air travel as the pandemic continues.
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