By MARK LORENZANA

Shortly after Mexican health authorities eliminated the mandatory use of face masks in closed spaces, Mexico’s Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC), in an official statement on Tuesday, Oct. 11, said that it is now optional for passengers to mask up inside the country’s airports and on flights departing Mexico.

“As of this date (Tuesday) and as long as the health authorities do not modify the health protocols inherent in the use of face masks, it is reported that for airport facilities and in aircraft passenger cabins, the use of face masks will not be mandatory,” read the AFAC statement.

Since May 2020, the use of face masks in open and closed spaces has been recommended “to reduce the risk of contagion by covid-19 among the population,” and was jointly established in the “Specific Technical Guidelines for the Reopening of Economic Activities” by Mexico’s Secretariat of Health, the Secretariat of Economy, the Labor Secretariat and the Social Security Institute (IMSS).

These guidelines have now been invalidated by the new provision of the AFAC.

However, in accordance with the new regulations released by health authorities, the use of a face mask is suggested at all times for people who are not vaccinated against covid-19, those with compromised immune systems and those who share the same physical workplace in poorly ventilated spaces.

Likewise, the new regulations have also established that there is no evidence that disinfectant mats and sanitary filters are effective, and that they must  be removed from public places.