Heathrow, Virgin, BA to ease mask rules as U.K. ends curbs

London’s Heathrow Airport, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. are dropping mask requirements as the country scraps remaining Covid-19 travel curbs despite a new flareup in cases. 

Masks will no longer be needed in Heathrow terminals, rail stations or office buildings from Wednesday, the airport said in a statement. IAG SA-owned British Airways and Virgin will also drop face-covering requirements on flights to destinations where their use is no longer mandated. 

The changes to mask requirements for aviation come after most pandemic-related rules were lifted in England last month as part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to get the country to learn to live with the coronavirus. Case counts have risen in recent days, though hospitalizations and deaths are far below previous levels.

On Monday, U.K. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said in a tweet the government had decided to drop all pandemic-related travel restrictions from Friday, including testing requirements for unvaccinated passengers and the passenger locator form for inbound travelers. 

“Today’s announcement sends a clear message to the world—the U.K. travel sector is back,” said Tim Alderslade, the chief executive officer of airline lobby group Airlines U.K. “With travellers returning to the U.K. no longer burdened by unnecessary forms and testing requirements, we can now look forward to the return to pre-Covid normality.”