Covid 19 coronavirus: Advance NZ’s Billy Te Kahika Jr in airplane mask incident

Police spoke to Advance NZ co-leader Billy Te Kahika Jr for improperly wearing a mask on a flight from Wellington to Dunedin.

Te Kahika took to social media to confirm that he was reluctant to wear a mask to cover his nose during the flight.

He claimed that covering his nose “feels bad” and would have made him sick.

During the flight he was challenged by a flight attendant who told him that he needed to use the mask correctly.

The flight attendant asked him three times to put the mask on correctly and he refused.

When the flight landed in Dunedin, an Air NZ police officer and manager were there to greet it.

Te Kahika Jr said he challenged the flight attendant, police and Air NZ manager on the legal basis for wearing a mask, saying it was not in Covid-19 legislation.

The Covid-19 legislation does not refer to masks, but the Civil Aviation Law requires that passengers comply with the pilot’s orders.

Police said they could not comment on whether an individual was being investigated for privacy reasons.

The wearing of masks is mandatory on public transport and on flights in and out of Auckland while the city is on Level 2, although Air New Zealand has made them mandatory on all flights until the whole country is on Level one.

The Health Ministry says that masks and face shields can reduce the risk of people who have Covid-19 transmitting the virus to others through infectious droplets.

The World Health Organization says that while prolonged use of medical masks can be uncomfortable, it does not lead to oxygen deficiency or CO2 poisoning. Masks should not be worn when exercising, says the WHO.