It is time to lift the compulsory masks rule at Canberra Airport, the airport's chief executive has pleaded with both the ACT and commonwealth governments, but to no avail.
"The rule has passed its use-by date, and it is not acceptable for aviation to be left behind in the move to relax COVID rules," Stephen Byron said.
Passengers passing through the airport are increasingly choosing to break the law. Security staff are not enforcing it - but the law remains the law. It's not clear where responsibility for enforcing a widely-ignored law now lies.
Mr Byron is frustrated because he feels the airport is being treated differently from other venues, even those which have more people in them.
The rule was imposed by the Commonwealth government but it is at the discretion of the ACT government to remove it.
Mr Byron said he had spoken to both territory and federal governments. Both agreed the mask rule was now unnecessary - but yet it remained.
"I've spoken with the Commonwealth government. They have specifically advised that state chief health officers can implement a relaxation at airport terminals if they wish," he said.
"There was no Commonwealth legal requirement to wear masks at Canberra Airport.
"I've spoken with the ACT Health officials, who have confirmed that wearing masks at Canberra Airport is no longer a logical or necessary health requirement. They specifically stated that the Canberra Airport terminal is probably less of a COVID risk than most Canberra shopping centres."
Masks were made mandatory at airports on January 8, 2021 after a national cabinet meeting. The aim was to slow the spread of the virus across state boundaries.
But the situation is dramatically changed by now, with COVID in decline - down though not quite yet out.
All the same, Mr Byron makes the point masks are not mandatory in crowded shopping centres or sporting venues in the ACT, for example. The mask rule was lifted for them in February.
"The ACT government has removed mandatory mask rules for indoor environments other than high-risk locations such as hospitals and aged care homes. The Canberra Airport terminal building is not a high-risk location, and ACT government authorities have confirmed this in discussions over the last six weeks with the airport," he said.
It is not clear where the blockage is, whether at the political level with ACT ministers or with health officials.
But Mr Byron is annoyed passengers going through his airport wearing masks to obey the law don't need them in cinemas, nightclubs or in the Jolimont Centre bus terminal in Civic.
"The airport terminal is no riskier than these or many other situations," he said.
The rule put passengers and the airport into a bind. "Passengers are making their minds up and they know that this law is not logical and not being enforced, but that staff who work in the terminal need the law to be updated as soon as possible," he said.
The ACT government said the mask mandate at the airport was in line with national government policy for all airports.
It accepted its role was to "implement the public health directions to enforce these rules" but didn't say why it couldn't remove the rule.
"ACT Health will continue to assess the need for mandates in different settings in line with the most up-to-date information and advice," a spokesman said.
