The CEOs of a number of main airways and cargo carriers are asking the White House to lift Covid-19 precautions – together with mask mandates – for vacationers.
In a letter to President Joe Biden, Airlines for America, a commerce group, wrote, “The high level of immunity in the U.S., availability of high-quality masks for those who wish to use them, hospital-grade cabin air, widespread vaccine availability and newly available therapeutics provide a strong foundation for the Administration to lift the mask mandate and predeparture testing requirements. We urge you to do so now.”
“We are requesting this action not only for the benefit of the traveling public, but also for the thousands of airline employees charged with enforcing a patchwork of now-outdated regulations implemented in response to COVID-19,” learn the Wednesday letter, which was signed by the heads of ten airways, together with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
The Transportation Security Administration introduced final month that it was extending the mask mandate on public transportation till April 18.
Frustration over mask necessities on airplanes have contributed to violent outbursts by some passengers who’ve refused to abide by the principles. The Federal Aviation Administration’s tracker says there have been 961 stories of unruly conduct on planes to this point this 12 months, 635 of which concerned masks. Since the pandemic began, there have been over 4,000 stories of incidents involving masks, the information exhibits.
The request comes because the variety of Covid-19 circumstances throughout the nation has fallen by virtually 24 % over the previous two weeks and the variety of deaths has fallen by 66 % throughout the identical interval, even because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has loosened its tips on masks.
In the letter, the CEOS mentioned their business had supported the CDC’s tips and their business “has leaned into science at every turn.”
“At the outset, we voluntarily implemented policies and procedures — mandating face coverings; requiring passenger health acknowledgements and contact tracing information; and enhancing cleaning protocols — to form a multi-layered approach to mitigate risk and prioritize the wellbeing of passengers and employees,” they wrote.
They contended, nevertheless, that “much has changed since these measures were imposed and they no longer make sense in the current public health context.”
“People are still required to wear masks on airplanes, yet are allowed to congregate in crowded restaurants, schools and at sporting events without masks, despite none of these venues having the protective air filtration system that aircraft do,” they wrote.
The White House and U.S. Dept. of Transportation didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
Jay Blackman contributed.