Having a mask will travel. Masking the new rule, at home and on the road, many of you are likely to feel uncomfortable leaving the safety of the house on new horizons. In particular, in relation to the type of Covid-19 security measures you will or will not find along the way.
Virginia Messina, executive director of the World Travel and Tourism Council, says face decks are important for tourism, not just tourists, to survive. “Wearing the face mask will not be political,” he told the BBC. “There will be no stigma around that. It’s just the way we move forward, so we can move freely, while protecting others, but also ourselves.”
“Many in the industry need a mask to be mandatory in tourist establishments, regardless of government policy,” said BBC scientific editor David Shukman.
The following is not a list of the safest countries to do so. Some government reviews warn that it opposes any global at this time. But for mask sensitive users, this explains some places where you can expect to find the mask. According to the British Scientific Academy, the Royal Society, masks are mandatory in all public spaces in more than 70 countries. They’re among them.
Since April, more than a dozen African countries have made the mask mandatory as soon as other people leave. Most have had low mortality rates. In countries like Nigeria, they are a true fashion statement. South Africa has now become a corrupt offense not to use them. Like Morocco, where masking in public is essential for everyone.
In China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, the masked dress is almost ubiquitous. It has long been a custom to wear a mask for many Asian cultures. Even in Singapore, ranked as the lowest in masked clothing in ASEAN countries, 66% of respondents say they still wear a mask in public.
This reaches 89% in Malaysia, where compliance occurs without legislation or government sanctions. As for Japan, and many wonder if their civilian mask is similar to their covid success.
USA–Despite all the flack it gets about non-compliance on masks, the times they are a-changing–as the States grapple with the worst coronavirus outbreak 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. Over 20 of which have made mask-wearing in public compulsory.
CANADA – According to one study, less than a portion of Canadians on average wear a mask in public. Quebec is only introducing a mask on public transport, as well as for all indoor public spaces. Several cities are taking stricter measures, such as Ottawa. This also makes the mask mandatory in enclosed public spaces and offenders are subject to heavy penalties. “Mandatory mask legislation is spreading in Canada,” CBC reports.
France, Italy, Spain and Germany are the masks. Masks are mandatory in all grades in public shipments and in stores. (Although in France, the rule will begin on 1 August and apply to all indoor public spaces, from restaurants to cinemas). This follows Belgium’s strict progress in early July.
Careful, Austria would have been on this list but no longer wants to mask itself at the points of sale. Neither does Greece. In the UK, apart from public transport, studies show that only about 25% of citizens wear masks regularly. That’s why I didn’t count it here among the countries with much more mask culture. Attitudes are becoming and this number is expected to accumulate as a mandatory mask in UK retail stores on 24 July.
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 just made the mask the rule of public transport in July. They are not yet mandatory in supermarkets, bar for two cantons: Le Vaud and Jura.
TURKEY Since the closing of the closure in June, the government has made it mandatory to wear a mask in all public places and abroad, in 3 main cities, adding Istanbul and Ankara.
ISRAEL Amid a further increase in Covid’s instances after the closure at the end of June, the Israeli government more than doubled fines for not wearing a mask in public, to 500 shekels ($146). Unlike some leaders, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has wearing a mask in public, setting a smart example for the public.
United Arab Emirates The use of masks in public has been mandatory in the Emirates since April 4. Interestingly, of about 56,000 cases, WHO reports 335 deaths.
I have 3 decades of pleasure as a journalist, foreign correspondent and writer-photographer. Working for printing, virtual and radio on 4 continents,
I have 3 decades of pleasure as a journalist, foreign correspondent and travel writer and photographer. Working for print, virtual and radio media on 4 continents, I am also an experienced hotel journalist and writer of travel guides and cultural histories in Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Borneo. Deep on the road between my Parisian and Australian bases, I write for Forbes with a globetrotter attitude and a topicality in travel, culture, hospitality, art and architecture. My hobby is to capture the unique people, places and occasions I encounter along the way, whether in words and images. I have a bachelor’s degree in professional writing from the University of Canberra, a master’s degree in European journalism from Robert Schuman University in Strasbourg and a member of the Society of American Travel Writers. Love for my wild local island of Tasmania fuels my commitment to sustainable travel and conservation.