The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging passengers to wear masks on long-haul flights.
It made the recommendation on Tuesday, January 10, following the rapid spread of the latest Omicron subvariant in the US. Speaking at a press briefing, officials from Europe and the WHO said the XBB.1.5 subvariant had been detected in Europe in small but growing numbers.
WHO's Senior Emergency Officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, advised passengers to wear masks in high-risk settings such as long-haul flights. "This should be a recommendation issued to passengers arriving from anywhere where there is widespread COVID-19 transmission," she said.
“Countries need to look at the evidence base for pre-departure testing and, if action is considered, travel measures should be implemented in a non-discriminatory manner."
On Tuesday, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control also issued recommendations for flights between China and the EU.
These included non-pharmaceutical measures to reduce the spread of the virus, such as mask-wearing and testing of travellers, as well as monitoring of waste water as an early warning tool to detect new variants.
