The Royal Canadian Air Force will now allow its aircraft mechanics and maintenance crews to wear masks on the job to protect them against the coronavirus.
This newspaper reported Monday that some of those personnel in the Royal Canadian Air Force were told they couldn’t wear masks even though they were in close proximity to each other when working on aircraft. A number of military staff had contacted this newspaper with their concerns that they could be exposed to the coronavirus because of the Air Force policy. They said they had been told by their commanding officer that masks were against military regulations. In response to questions from Defence Watch about this policy the RCAF issued this statement Tuesday:
“Under the advice of 1 Canadian Air Division Flight Surgeon and local healthcare professionals, 8 Wing instructed its members not to wear Personal Protective Equipment in a general setting because at the time it was not endorsed by Canadian health authorities as an effective way to prevent transmission of COVID-19. In light of new guidance from the Public Health Agency of Canada, new direction and guidance to our personnel is forthcoming.”
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