Mask mandates to be scrapped from Victorian airport terminals this weekend

Victoria is set to finally fall in line with other Australian states and territories, lifting the mask mandate rule at airports. Here’s when the change will take place.

Travellers at Melbourne Airport won’t need to wear masks in indoor terminals, with Victoria set to finally fall in line with other Australian states and territories.

Senior government sources have told the Herald Sun that Health Minister Martin Foley will make an announcement on Saturday morning.

On Friday night, Victoria was the only state refusing to ditch mask mandates in airports, despite the nation’s chief health officers determining it is safe to scrap the edict.

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee this week determined it was no longer necessary to mandate the use of masks in airport terminals from midnight June 17.

“All states and territories have relaxed mask mandates in most settings within the community and considers that it is no longer proportionate to mandate mask use in airport terminals,” the group said in a statement.

Masks are still mandatory at Melbourne Airport. Picture: Tony Gough

Victoria is yet to act on the advice, despite New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, the ACT and South Australia all moving to ­implement it. The state government on Friday night maintained it is still reviewing the committee’s advice.

Under Victoria’s pandemic management legislation, Mr Foley is required to seek advice from Professor Brett Sutton – who sits in AHPPC.

Mr Foley must also consider the human rights assessment before making any decisions on restrictions.

“We will review the AHPPC statement and its advice and under the pandemic legislation the Minister for Health will consider any changes based on public health advice,” he said.

A Melbourne Airport spokesman said it had been calling for the removal of masks in airport terminals since March.

“We are hopeful the Victorian government adopts this recommendation,” the spokesman said.

It comes as new data reveals mask use on public transport is continuing to plummet, with almost half of all train commuters failing to don face coverings.

New figures obtained by the Herald Sun shows just 53 per cent of passengers on trains and 62 per cent of tram commuters wore masks in May.

It’s a drop from 62 per cent on trains, and 68 per cent on trams, in April.

Earlier this week, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce called for the federal government to meet international standards and scrap the mask mandate on planes.

“It probably should have been removed some time ago,” Mr Joyce told 2GB radio host Ben Fordham on Friday morning.

Masks requirements change depending on the rules in the country of the flight’s destination.

Travellers flying from Sydney to Perth are required to wear a mask, while flights leaving from Perth to London are not.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce says planes are the safest form of transport due to air filtration techniques. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

“We are a little behind the curve on this, we do need to move on it,” Mr Joyce said.

He said there was significant evidence to prove that there was a very low risk of transmitting Covid-19 on a plane due to air filtration techniques.

“An aircraft is the safest environment of any transport in the world,” he said.

“You’ve got these HEPA filters on an aircraft that take out 99 per cent of all particles, including Covid-19.

“You’ve got air that's circulated every six minutes and you’ve got everyone facing in a forward direction.”

Masks are no longer required in Australian airports. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

Mr Joyce cited a Boeing study that showed sitting next to someone who coughs on a plane had the same effect as sitting two metres away from them on the ground.

The airline boss is hoping that the new Albanese government will move quickly to bring Australia up to international standards on mask mandates.

“We’ve had a change of government … we’re hoping to make progress pretty soon,” he said.

Originally published as Mask mandates to be scrapped from Victorian airport terminals this weekend