QANTAS: Mask up – Victoria

If you are flying into, out of, or around Victoria on a Qantas Group airlne (that includes JetStar), then you will be required to wear a mask from today, 23 July 2020.

You will need to wear it from your entrance to the airport terminal, on the flight, and in Victoria it is mandatory. If you are departing from outside Victoria, then wearing the mask is only mandatory on boarding and during the flight.

The face mask must cover your mouth and nose. If you are 12 years old or under, or have a medical condition (not specified) then you don’t need to wear one.

Make ‘Fly Well’ simpler and better

Qantas, why don’t you just make it easier and safer for everyone, and make it company policy for passengers to wear a mask from the entry to the airport, wherever they are going to or coming from? Especially since you don’t encourage distancing by leaving the middle seat free, like some USA domestic airlines.

Face masks mandatory in Victoria

The wearing of facemasks in public places is also now mandatory in Victoria within metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell shire. Exemptions apply for medical and ‘professional’ reasons, or when it’s not practical, for example when you are exercising like jogging or running. The exception is also extended to children under 12.

Stage 3 to August

This is part of the Stage 3 lockdown applying to Victoria until at least August, where COVID-19 cases are on an exponential growth path. Some are predicting that New South Wales is on a similar path, but a few weeks later. The borders with Victoria are essentially sealed (to Tasmania, South Australia and New South Wales).

Wear a mask people!

Although there was no general advice to wear a mask in the early stages of the Pandemic – largely because authorities wanted to reserve the supply for medical staff at the front line. Now there is good evidence to say mask wearing can reduce your risk of passing on or catching COVID-19 by about 70%. Masks are also endorsed where physical distancing is difficult or impossible – like on a plane! Even Qantas is encouraging you to wear a face mask on all its flights.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

If you are out in public, or in places where there are a lot of the public, then wear a mask! It’s simple, its health advice, and it has nothing to do with politics, the ‘deep state’ or Donald Trump. It’s just a way of us trying to get back to what we think of as ‘normal’ social behaviour as soon as possible.

Think of it as a healthy fashion accessory. If that helps.