Which countries have ditched mask rules for travellers?

After two years, many countries have removed their mask mandates. Photo / Pexels

After two years of masking up, countries around the world are relaxing their rules.

Large parts of Britain dropped their mask mandates in January, with Norway, Denmark and several other Eastern European countries following suit.

Scotland joined the list on April 18. In a shock move last week, a federal judge ended the requirement for masks on public transport in the US.

Not all countries are eager to ditch their legal mask requirements. Medical-grade masks are mandatory in retail outlets and on public transport in certain regions of Germany. Austria requires FFP2 masks be worn in public places such as supermarkets while Greece will require masks in most indoor places until at least June 1.

Outside of Europe, countries such as Canada, Thailand, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Egypt and Morocco still have firm rules.

Although rules are constantly changing in response to new variants, waves of cases and vaccination rates, below are the current countries that do not require masks.

Countries where no masks are required

Since the start of the pandemic, the Nordic nations have been known for taking relaxed stances and the same now goes for masks, with all five scrapping mandates.

Eastern European countries have also moved fast on dropping mandates.

Currently, the below countries do not have widespread mask mandates, excluding special circumstances such as hospitals and care homes.

1. Bulgaria
2. Croatia
3. Czech Republic
4. Denmark
5. Estonia
6. Finland
7. Hungary
8. Iceland
9. Ireland
10. Netherlands
11. Norway
12. Poland
13. Romania
14. Slovenia
15. Sweden
16. Switzerland

Outside of Europe, other countries include:
17. USA
18. Maldives
19. Jamaica
20. Dominican Republic
21. Aruba

Countries where masks are only required on public transport

Another category that includes countries such as France and Spain is countries that only require masks on public transport. Special rules may apply for hospitals and care homes.

1. Belgium
2. France
3. Latvia
4. Lithuania
5. Montenegro
6. Portugal
7. Spain

Airline mask rules

What about when you're in the air? The rules may depend on what airline you fly with and where you fly.

Airlines such as British Airlines, Virgin and EasyJet do not require masks when flying between two destinations without mask mandates on public transport.

Meanwhile, Ryanair still requires masks to be worn on the aircraft but CEO Michael O'Leary said they hope to remove this in coming weeks.