The CEOs of the foremost U.S. airways have known as on President Biden to finish the federal masks mandate for public transportation. Right here, a traveler works on a laptop computer pc at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on Dec. 3.
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A bunch of CEOs from all main airways within the U.S. is asking on President Biden to drop the federal transportation masks mandate together with the worldwide pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirement.
In an open letter launched by the travel-industry lobbying group Airways for America, the group is asking on the Biden administration to “sundown federal transportation journey restrictions.” The group argues that the restrictions not replicate the “realities of the present epidemiological setting.”
The letter was signed by the leaders of 10 U.S. corporations, together with six of the most important airways within the nation: Alaska Airways, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United.
“It is unnecessary that individuals are nonetheless required to put on masks on airplanes, but are allowed to congregate in crowded eating places, colleges and at sporting occasions with out masks, regardless of none of those venues having the protecting air filtration system that plane do,” the letter mentioned.
At the moment, A4A submitted a letter to the @WhiteHouse and @POTUS requesting the elimination of COVID-era transportation insurance policies, together with the worldwide predeparture testing requirement and federal masks mandate. (1/3) https://t.co/IWazJ1YRle
— Airways for America (@AirlinesDotOrg) March 23, 2022
The group argues that the rise in vaccinations nationwide and the lifting of restrictions in different international locations are causes the Biden administration ought to rethink its COVID insurance policies for vacationers.
“We’re inspired by the present information and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions from coast to coast, which point out it’s previous time to get rid of COVID-era transportation insurance policies,” the group mentioned.
The CEOs emphasised that, whereas they’ve supported and cooperated with the federal authorities’s COVID insurance policies, together with masking and pre-departure testing, imposing these guidelines has fallen to airline staff for the previous two years.
“This isn’t a perform they’re educated to carry out and topics them to every day challenges by annoyed clients. This, in flip, takes a toll on their very own well-being,” based on Airways for America.
To date, the White Home has not but commented on the group’s request.
The mandate for masks use on public transportation and in transportation hubs had been set to run out on March 18, however earlier this month the Transportation Safety Administration prolonged the coverage by April 18.
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