Sydney Airport Issues Revised Face Mask Guidance

Sydney Airport confirmed last Wednesday new guidance on face masks and social distancing to coincide with the NSW Government re-opening the border to Victoria.

From Wednesday, all passengers and visitors to the airport will be strongly encouraged to wear a face mask in areas where it is not possible or practical maintain 1.5 metres of physical distance from other people.

The move is being driven by the potential for increased numbers of passengers and visitors within the airport terminals as border restrictions ease, rather than any specific COVID risk from interstate travellers.

Jane Rotsey, Sydney Airport’s General Manager, Safety, Sustainability & Environment, said: “Right now social distancing isn’t a problem, but as borders re-open and our terminals fill up, queuing and congregating may become unavoidable. From today our message to passengers and visitors is ‘social distance if you can, wear a mask if you can’t’.”

Passengers can take additional measures to help avoid queuing and congregating at the airport by checking in online where possible and arriving at the advised time ahead of their flight, which is one hour for domestic flights, and three hours for international flights.

The revised guidance on face masks is consistent with the NSW Government’s position on physical distancing and face masks and reflects the approach taken by other organisations across the transport industry, including Transport for NSW.

The guidance will be supported by a communication campaign across Sydney Airport’s website and social media channels, as well as in-terminal signage and announcements. Passengers and visitors will be urged to bring a face mask with them on their next visit to the airport.

“Staying safe from COVID-19 is a mutual responsibility and having a mask with you at all times is an important part of this,” Ms Rotsey said.

The new guidance is in addition to Sydney Airport’s ongoing efforts to keep passengers, visitors, and employees safe, including:

• Deploying      QR codes that link to the Service NSW app’s COVID check-In feature
• Hourly      cleaning of high-touch areas using hospital-grade cleaning products
• Markers      on terminal floors and on seating
• Hand      sanitiser units at terminal entrances and exits, and near bathrooms,      check-in, and security areas
• Mandatory      mask use by airport staff in areas where it is difficult to keep 1.5      metres of physical distance from passengers and visitors

As an essential service, Sydney Airport has an exemption from the rule that requires venues to maintain capacity limits of 1 person per 4 square metres.

Source Sydney Airport edited by: Joe Cusmano