Should I wear a mask while travelling if there is no mask mandate?

A growing number of destinations and airlines don't require travellers to wear a mask. So, should we? Photo / Unsplash

When taking a much-anticipated international trip, the last thing anyone wants is a reminder of the past pandemic years wrapped around their face.

But depending on your intended destination, you could easily pretend life was back to normal, with many international airlines, airports and entire countries deciding to drop mask mandates. In places like the US, UK, Denmark and Canada, travellers can move around outside and indoors without needing to mask up.

The question is, should we?

Catching Covid-19 while on holiday will derail even the most carefully laid plans. Even if you have had a booster vaccination and symptoms are mild, you will still spend precious vacation days in isolation.

Experts agree vaccination provides the best protection against the virus, with epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker describing vaccination and boosters as a "key priority". However, a correctly worn mask comes in second; even if those around you decide to go without.

"Using effective masks will help to prevent infection and has the advantage of working on all variants," said Baker. "People who are particularly vulnerable may need to start using higher quality N95 style masks routinely when indoors with other people."

Of course, masks are most effective when worn by everyone, says Jaimie Meyer, an infectious disease physician at Yale Medicine. If all people on a plane or in a restaurant wear a mask, even if they feel well, the spread of Covid-19 from someone who is unknowingly infected with Covid-19 is reduced.

"Their mask is like putting a thumb over the end of a hose, preventing the virus from spewing," Meyer explained, in an interview with National Geographic.

However, it's still effective on an individual level due to the way Covid-19 travels, says University of Auckland aerosol chemist Dr Joel Rindelaub.

"We know that Omicron is highly transmissible and does transmit via aerosols that hang in the air - and the best way to prevent yourself from breathing them in is to wear a covering over your nose and mouth," he said.

So, even if an infected person is on your flight and maskless, passengers around them are better protected against infected droplets if they wear a mask.

The protection isn't nominal either. Recent data from America's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found those who wore N95 and KN95 respirators were 83 per cent less likely to test positive than people who didn't wear a mask.

It's important to take a destination's transmission rates into account when considering how important a mask is. Photo / Pexels

To mask or not to mask? Factors to consider

When a mask mandate does not apply, travellers get to decide whether they want to wear a face covering or not.

But, like a mask, no size fits all when it comes to whether you should wear one, Linsey Marr, an expert in the airborne transmission of viruses and professor at Virginia Tech, told Time.

"There is no right answer. There are so many different factors to consider, like cases, hospitalisations, vaccination rates, the severity of disease, and herd immunity," she added.

The value a mask provides will vary from person to person, depending on several factors relating to your health, travel companions and the wider environment.

Your health

Those who are older, have underlying health conditions or have low immunity are more susceptible, not just to Covid-19 but to illness in general. For this reason, if your health is more fragile than the average person, you may want to consider masking up while travelling, regardless of mandates. Even if those around you are not masked, you will have additional protection.

Masking up doesn't just protect a traveller but those they are going away with, like children or older people. Photo / Pexels

Your travel companions

Since variants like Omicron can spread rapidly and sometimes asymptomatically, it's important to consider the health of those you travel with. You may be young, triple-vaccinated, healthy, and likely to experience mild Covid-19 symptoms but your travel companion may not.

If you're travelling with someone vulnerable because of age or underlying health conditions, or someone who is not fully vaccinated (including a booster), wearing a mask - especially when indoors - is a key form of protection. This will both reduce your risk of catching Covid-19 from others and passing it on to your companion.

Destination transmission rates

The prevalence of Covid-19 is another key consideration that will impact your level of risk and thus the importance of additional measures like masks. Simply put by the CDC; if you are in an area of "substantial or high transmission", you should mask up indoors, even if you are vaccinated. But what constitutes substantial or high transmission?

The phrases are part of a four-tier system by the CDC (low, moderate, substantial and high) based on case numbers and positivity rate. "Substantial" transmission means 50 to 100 cases per 100,000 people or an 8-10 per cent positivity rate. "High" transmission is 100 or more cases per 100,000 people or a positivity rate of 10 per cent or higher.

Currently, countries like Indonesia, Mexico and China are within the low transmission bracket, Canada, the US, Russia and Thailand are moderate, and Malaysia and Denmark are substantial. New Zealand is currently considered high transmission, along with countries like Australia, France, Italy and Germany.

Why you should keep a mask close

Aside from larger factors like health, wellbeing and risk, there are other reasons it may be wise to keep a mask on (or at least, in your bag).

In destinations where masks aren't mandatory in general public areas, they may still be required on certain forms of transport or by venues or businesses. For example, New York City dropped its mask mandate in early March but places like restaurants, theatres and other attractions retain the right to demand masks from patrons.

For Meyers, constantly calculating risk and trying to remember rules for different places tends to be more of a hassle than just popping a mask on while out and about. "It's easier for me to just put on the mask and not have to decide every time," she said.

Have you got a question about international travel? Email travel@nzherald.co.nz with "Ask the Travel Team" in the subject line