Travelers in Brazil are no longer obligated to wear masks at airports or on airplanes per a new government directive, effective immediately.
Brazil No Longer Requires Masks On Airplanes Or In Airports
After two years of strict masking regulations, Brazil is finally loosening up its mandatory masking as coronavirus cases continue to decline. ANVISA, the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency, announced the news on Wednesday with immediate effect.
It was only in May that Brazil began allowing food and beverage service on domestic flights. During the pandemic, masks were compulsory for the entire duration of every domestic flight, with no exceptions granted for eating and drinking. At the time Alex Machado Campos, the Director of ANVISA, noted:
“The measures need to be gradual; the risks need to be continuously evaluated and weighed. The layers of protection aim to allow the monitoring of the benefits brought by new measures implemented and any associated risks.”
While passengers are still “strongly advised” to wear mask, the reaction by Azul Airlines seems to reflect the sentiment:
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Indeed, Jason Ward, Vice President of People and Customers at Azul, told Simple Flying:
“We are excited about the news, because thanks to the advance of vaccination efforts and the reduction of COVID-19 cases throughout the entire country, air travel is returning to normal. Now, the smiles of our crew and our clients, which were previously hidden, will now be seen onboard our flights.”
LATAM and GOL Linhas Aéreas have also announced that masking is now optional.
CONCLUSION
Brazil has finally eliminated mandatory masking onboard flights and in airports. Those who are more vulnerable are encouraged to continue to mask up, but as Azul points out, it will be nice to see smiles once again.
image: Azul
She is more beautiful wearing a mask.
Let’s not make condescending remarks about her looks.
With all due respect, Matthew, but you defend the right of free speech for extremists, like the “Debit” Nazi in the post about Auschwitz, but criticize an apparently naive comment.
Obviously I don’t agree with judging people on their appearance, but it’s weird… Sorry to be honest.
Anyway, I love your blog.
Agreed. Debit’s can be described as an anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, nihilistic, right-wing bashing racist who just spews hate towards everyone.
It’s just a travesty on how the comment section became so political and hateful. This is a travel blog, not some political forum.
Notice, though, that I did not delete the comment. I always thought Debit’s comments spoke for themselves…but at least are directed generally, not specifically. Here, a specific woman, though unnamed, was insulted.
I condemn anti-Semitism of all kinds and maintain the answer to speech is more speech.
Not caring to read anymore about the jewish holocaust is not anti semitic. But you are too narcissistic to understand this. This trope of kissing jewish ass or you are anti-semitic is a little disingenuous. Grow up.
You show me if you and other jews have tried to understand other genocides and I might change my mind. I am not jewish, don’t know anyone jewish, have not been in close relationship with anyone jewish, so why should i care about the jewish holocaust? My stand is no different than all those idiots saying you can’t compare one genocide to another but make no attempt to know about the others, visit others. The jewish holocaust takes up all the oxygen. An equal number or more died in many other places, and times, some during or after the jewish holocaust.
As far as that other guy from wall street, i dont want to engage with him.
You’re literally proving the point of Malik, Ricardo, and others who call you out for being a racist and anti-Semite with this comment. All genocides should be taken seriously so that no more would happen in the future. Look at Japan, for instance. They committed mass genocide against Koreans during colonization and they’re getting stick for not admitting, not apologizing, and down playing the number of Korean deaths. Or China, where they’re mass genociding Uyghurs and limiting their freedom of religion. Not caring is the problem and enables terrible people to continue to repeat history.
As a “lurker” of this blog, I’m glad that people like Malik call out people like you for the crap you’re saying and you’re afraid to engage with him because he’ll tear you a new one.
Indeed. Understanding other genocides is important lest they be forgotten as you rightly point out. They deserve more media and visitors than they are getting currently. Let’s hope people that ignore them are not being racist. But who knows?
Rest of your stuff is blah blah blah.
Face masks make people look more attractive, study finds
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/13/face-masks-make-people-look-more-attractive-study-finds
Great news. Hopefully common sense will soon arrive in Asia too.
Common sense has arrived in Asia. Most countries reached their own consensus. Most people wear masks indoors and at least in East Asia there’s zero hint that’ll change anytime soon. It really isn’t a controversial topic, at least in cities and on mass transit (ie planes). A large portion of city populations still wear masks outside even as rules were relaxed. Don’t like it. Don’t visit. Everyone will be happier.
Not a fan of mask mandates but I don’t really mind wearing one, and won’t be deterred to go to a place with mandates in place. The real deterrent in majority of east/southeast Asia is their archaic covid tests rule.
Singapore has a pretty common-sense approach now and I wish the east/southeast asians would follow Singapore’s lead on this.
But if you don’t live in Asia you don’t have to be a gatekeeper for them either.
Most of the world is in extreme drought. Cotton Textile making uses a lot of water. Synthetic use a lot of oil and gas.
It’s time climate activists started walking around naked. Let’s make flying clothing optional as well. The women that fly with almost nothing on are working to protect the environment. Christians and people that push for false modesty on the other hand hate your kids and the environment.
Kind of pointless to wear a mask where you’re more likely to be murdered on the street.
Trust me, it is not really that bad. It’s one of my favorite places to visit. Beautiful country with beautiful people and extremely reasonable.
Let’s hope Lula does not erect barriers to entry for U.S. visitors like he did last time…
You are wrong, Lula never did this..
Lula is a communist idiot and one of the reasons why Brazil is such a massive shithole.
@Ricardo: It was absurd to get a tourist visa in advance during the Lula regime…expensive and cumbersome. And this was done for reciprocity reasons…I understand why Brazil was not happy about how hard the U.S. makes it to visit, but the retaliatory measures were not good for tourism.
Hi Matthew! The reciprocity of visas was a brazilian state policy that dates back to before Lula, even with the right-wing Brazilian military dictatorship in the sixties. Process that in recent years had changed for a much simpler e-visa and even for the Soccer World Cup or Olympic Games in Rio had been released.
Of course I find an idiotic policy, since it is obvious that an american, australian or japanese will not want to illegally live in Brazil. But it was not a policy that Lula imposed, you are absolutely wrong. By the way, he is not a “communist” enemy of the “gringos” (except if you’re a Tucker Carlson fan..)
The flat-Earther Bolsonaro, a Trump’s lover, eliminates the visa requirement for americans, perhaps one of the few good measures of this corrupt extremist. What did the Brazilians gain from “daddy” Trump? Taxes in brazilian steel and prohibition of entering the US during the pandemic, having to quarantine 15 days in “safe” countries such Mexico or the Dominican Republic…
I wouldn’t be so sure the communist is going to win.
The polls got many things wrong in the 2018 and 2020 elections and are not to be trusted.
Let’s hope that Lula is defeated in his election bid and fades into retirement.
For better or for worse, all polls indicate he will trounce Bolsonaro.
You mean the way Brazilians need a visa to enter the US?
Really? Your chances of being murdered at the streets of any Liberal woke city in the US is way higher than anywhere in Brazil.
Another fact free statement from you. Of the top 50 cities with the highest murder rates (murders per 100,000 residents), 10 are in Brazil and 4 are in the United States
True but triggered snowflakes gotta bring the word “woke” into a discussion somehow…
@Aaron: I invite you to wave your tail in downtown Minneapolis any of these days and see what happens to you. You may get melted yourself.
Nah, probably not. If you can survive Brazil then anyone can survive Minneapolis.
sounds like you’re the triggered one. All the murders happen in WOKE blue cities run by lefties. You’re subhuman.
You’re a delusional troll bot who makes fake news sound real.
I was born and raised in Brazil so I know what I am saying. You have crime there but it is predictable and there are ways to avoid it. My family had been there for 3 generations and nobody was ever robbed there. Now here in the last fee years you don’t know how to act. Criminals are coming from the left field and acting in areas where people were used to leave cars and garage doors open. That was never the case in Brazil. If you are not stupid you will do well in Brazil. Here you don’t know. Ask the old lady that was beaten at the parking lot of a high end grocery store near to my house if she saw that coming. The thugs wanted her Porsche and she was not expecting that.
You’re making Brazil sound way worse than the US. btw. If anything, you are proving the facts and numbers are correct.
@Aaron: you are missing the point. Brazil has been this way forever and it is a third world country so yes it is worse than the US. However, for generations people know that and they know how to deal with it. When I came to the US 20 years ago I was shocked people would leave their doors unlocked, cars open, bicycles sitting on driveways, purses and cell phones at tables in restaurants. That was the way this country was. Good luck doing those things here now. And because people are not used to crimes, it makes things worse. Last week alone, over 10 restaurants in a very posh neighborhood of Minneapolis had clients robbed by pickpockets on the same day. Ten restaurants in a row. People are just not prepared for that. Pickpocket never happens in Brazil because people know that is a risk so they are aware.
Just because people here don’t know how to prevent themselves from becoming victims doesn’t make it inherently more dangerous than brazil. Yes unpreventable random acts can happen but I know not to walk down the street in chicago staring at my phone or blasting music in my headphones, just that alone cuts my chances greatly. Other people don’t know that and they get punched in the head and robbed. I would never leave my door unlocked no matter where I lived, what’s the benefit? I imagine those people at the posh restaurants were leaving their purses dangling carelessly out of sight. I swear half the car jackings in chicago are goofys that get out of their cars with them running to run inside somewhere. Just do a twitter search for the two hashtags #chicagoscanner and #youalreadyknow.
Being vigilant doesn’t make my enjoyment of the city any less. I’ve lived in quiet suburbs before and frankly I have no desire to go back
“Your chances of being murdered at the streets of any Liberal woke city in the US is way higher than anywhere in Brazil.”
Dude, pick a lane already. Either the US is worse or Brazil is worse. Both cannot be true.
Also:
“My family had been there for 3 generations and nobody was ever robbed there.”
“Brazil has been this way forever and it is a third world country so yes it is worse than the US.”
Again, which is it?
“Last week alone, over 10 restaurants in a very posh neighborhood of Minneapolis had clients robbed by pickpockets on the same day. Ten restaurants in a row.”
Which neighborhood?
I’ve been in Chicago numerous times, it all depends what parts of the city you are in.
I’ve been to every part of the world, and there is absolutely no country on earth that offers more to the traveler than Brazil. The most beautiful city (Rio), the most beautiful beaches (the fantasy endless beaches people search for in Asia but will never find are all over Brazil), the loveliest people, and some of the most interesting food and drink. The crime situation has room for improvement, but is certainly no worse than most large cities in the United States – if you’d travel to New Orleans or Chicago you certainly won’t be uncomfortable in Brazil.
With that said, it was long past time to get rid of masks on planes and it especially annoyed me how they deboarded planes a row at a time which took forever and was pure health theater.
It always made me laugh that they made people wear masks in brazil. A country where you will most likely get killed just walking on the side of the road by some criminal. The country is the most dangerous on the planet it’s literally the worst place on earth.
Best I could tell, GIG eliminated masks months ago. I didn’t see many passengers or employees wearing them the last time I was there. I certainly didn’t wear one.
You will be exposed to Covid: It’s going around. Now if you get sick, well that’s up to you, your immune system, and your body. Don’t forget, MonkeyPox, Small Pox, and the Flu (Flu season coming) can be transmitted by airborne droplets if someone coughs on you. So a mask can be helpful to avoid you getting exposed, to some extent, not totally. (And yes, I find a lot of mystery in the person’s emotions when they wear a mask).