South Korea on Wednesday started requiring all air travelers to wear face masks to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Following a mandate from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of Wednesday the government is requiring all travelers on domestic and international routes to wear masks. Those without masks will be denied boarding.

The measure came as an increasing number of people were ignoring the government’s recommendations on masks amid warmer spring weather.

A day earlier, the government started requiring masks on buses, subways and taxis. Drivers and public transit staff members are temporarily exempt from penalties for refusing to carry passengers without masks.

As Korea gained better control of COVID-19, local airlines were already requiring masks as they began resuming their activities.

Korean Air, the nation’s largest airline, became the first local carrier to require masks on domestic flights last week. It has expanded the measure to all of its international flights Wednesday, in line with the government mandate. Budget carrier Jin Air started requiring masks as of Monday.

Local carriers said Wednesday that they would follow the government’s guidance and require all of their passengers to wear face masks on all routes.

By Ko Jun-tae (ko.juntae@heraldcorp.com)