A woman wearing a face mask and shield as domestic tourism takes off in Lima Peru. Of course many of ... [+] us still dont want to travel. Or are not allowed to. But when we do, mask-friendly countries may woo travelers more. Others have pressing reasons to travel now, or simply want to break free a bit. A key thing we may take into account in our travel planning, is whether the place we are going to will be mask-friendly. Mask compliance may also help those destinations struggling terribly from a post-Covid tourist dearth. By making them safer places in the minds of travelers with trepidations.
Have mask will travel. As masks become the new normal, at home and on the road, there are probably many of you out there who feel uncomfortable about leaving the safety of home for new horizons. Particularly, when it comes to the kind of Covid-19 safety measures you will encounteror notalong the way.
Sign at a shop in Ontario Canada reminding shoppers of mandatory mask policies.
Virginia Messina, managing director of the World Travel and Tourism Council, says face coverings are vital, if tourismnot just touristsis to survive. The use of face masks should not be political, she told the BBC. There should not be stigma around it. Its just the way we go forward, to be able to move around freelywhile protecting others, but also ourselves.
The number of countries worldwide with policies on face coverings has risen from 10 to 130 since ... [+] March according to U.S. based advocates, Masks4All. But Britain's science academy, the Royal Society, says of those about 70 mandate mask wearing in all public spaces.
Like her, many in the travel industry want masks to be mandatory at tourism establishments, no matter what the individual government policy is, said the BBCs science editor David Shukman.
The following is not a list of the safest countries to travel. Some government advisories warn against any global travel right now. But for mask-sensitive travelers, it explains some places you can most expect to encounter masks. According to the UKs scientific academy, the Royal Society, masks are compulsory in all public spaces in over 70 countries. These are among them.
A woman wearing a face mask among her wares at the Mile 12 Food Market in Lagos, Nigeria. Since May ... [+] it has been compulsory for everybody to wear a face mask in public places. Following on from Cameroon, over a dozen African nations went the same way on mandatory masks.
Over a dozen African nations since April made masks mandatory as soon as people step outdoors. Most have suffered relatively low death rates. In countries such as Nigeria, they are a real fashion statement. South Africa has now made it a criminal offence not to wear one. As has Morocco, where masks in public are a must for all.
Tourists take a selfie while visiting Petaling Street in Chinatown Kuala Lumpur Malaysia as it ... [+] reopens on July 12. Face masks are compulsory in public, and there are temperature checks at the market entry too.
In China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam mask wearing is pretty much ubiquitous. Its long been the habit to don a mask for many Asian cultures. Even in Singapore, ranked by one study as the lowest for mask-wearing in the ASEAN countries, 66% of people polled say they always wear a mask in public.
That compared to 89%in Malaysia where compliance comes without the government laws or penalties. As for Japan, and many are wondering whether its mask civility is linked to its Covid success.
Spot the person without a mask ... There is none. The same can be said for Japan as a whole. Not ... [+] just residents of Tokyo. On July 10, Tokyo confirmed 243 new Covid-19 infections, the highest in a single day. So mask vigilance is greater than ever, as the lockdown eases.
A woman wearing a face mask near Hermosa Beach, California. State Governor, Gavin Newsom, announced ... [+] a significant rollback of the state's reopening plan on July 13, as corona cases soared across America's richest and most populous state. That's despite it being one of the most mask-compliant parts of the US. The number of States with mask mandates is rising. Especially now the President has donned a mask in public.
USADespite all the flack it gets about non-compliance on masks, the times they are a-changingas the States grapple withthe worstcoronavirusoutbreak in the world. The Pew Research Center says 65% of people always wear a mask in stores and businesses, though it varies state by state. Over20 of which have made mask-wearing in public compulsory.
Face mask rules at the entrance of a store in Toronto, Canada, on July 7. The use of face coverings ... [+] in indoor, publicly accessible settings became mandatory on that day, and increasing numbers of Canadian cities are issuing mask mandates, despite the lack of a national law.
CANADALess than half of Canadians on average are wearing masks in public according to one study. Quebec is only just introducing masks on public transport, as well as for all indoor public spaces. Several cities are bringing in tougher measures, such as Ottawa. Its also making masks mandatory for indoor public places, and offenders face hefty penalties. Mandatory mask laws are spreading in Canada, reports CBC.
Masks in all enclosed public places in France will be mandatory nationwide from August 1. From ... [+] restaurants (except when seated at your table), to post offices and cinemas. So far the rules have not been enforced other than for public transport, taxis pharmacies and hospitals. Stores have been left to make their own policy causing confusion for many customers. A blanket ban simplifies that. Galeries Lafayette was one of the major department store that already makes masks compulsory.
France, Italy, Spain and Germany are top mask performers. Masks are required across the board on public transport, and in shops. (Though in France the rule will start on August 1 and apply to all indoor public spaces from restaurants to cinemas). Thats following on Belgiums strict lead in early July.
Note, Austria would have been on this list but no longer requires masks in stores. Nor does Greece. In the UK, other than on public transport, studies show only about 25% of citizens regularly wear face coverings. Which is why I haven't counted it here among countries with much more mask culture. Attitudes are changing, and that figure is set to rise as masks becomes mandatory in English stores on July 24.
Tourists wear face masks as they visit the Andalusian town of Ronda on July 15. Fresh Covid ... [+] outbreaks have led several regions, such as Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Andalusia, to reinforce the mandatory use of face masks in streets and indoor public spaces, even when social distance is maintained.
Several regions in Spain have introduced mask measures for all indoor and outdoor public spaces. Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Andalusia says this means tourists must wear masks on beaches and at swimming pools.
Switzerland has only just made masks the rule for public transport in July. They are not yet compulsory in shops or supermarkets, bar for two cantons: The Vaud and the Jura.
In the UK, 50% of people polled say they never wear a maskand there's a lot of resistance to doing ... [+] so. An estimated 25% of the public wear one always. That figure is tipped to rise with new mandatory mask rules in English shops starting July 24. Scotland has already swept in such rules. The one place where mask compliance has been better is on English transport, authorities say. Around 90% of commuters have been respecting the requirement introduced in mid-June. As they are here at Liverpool Station.
TURKEY Since the lockdown eased in June, authorities have made the wearing of masks mandatory in all public places, indoors and outdoors, in three major cities including Istanbul and Ankara.
People wearing protective face masks on a ferry in Istanbul, Turkey, July 13. Masks are a mandatory ... [+] Covid-19 precaution in public places. As of July 12, Turkey has reported 212,993 confirmed cases and 5,363 coronavirus-related deaths.
ISRAEL Amid a new spike in post-lockdown Covid cases in late June, the Israeli government more than doubled the fines for not wearing a mask in public, to 500 shekels ($146). Unlike some leaders, PM Benjamin Netanyahu has steadily worn a mask in public, setting a good example to the public.
Mask compliance in Israel is fairly strong, even if some of the masks are homemadeeven makeshift ... [+] varieties. Scenes in Tel Aviv.
UAE Wearing masks in public has been mandatory in the Emirates since April 4. Interestingly of some 56,000 cases the WHO reports just 335 deaths.
Read more:
Covid Travel: These Are 22 Of The Most Mask Friendly Countries - Forbes
