Biden orders facemasks on planes and other public transportation

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Along with a series of executive orders aimed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, President Biden approved a measure that will require mask-wearing when traveling.
• The mandate shall oblige people to wear face coverings on airports, stations, trains, airplanes, and federal owned lots and buildings.
• Most terminals and airports have already imposed mask-wearing orders since last year, and such executive order is expected to strengthen the existing restrictions.

On Thursday, President Biden certified an executive order to require the wearing of masks on planes and other public transportation facilities, just the first on a series of other mandates to curb the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

The measure will oblige the public to wear masks on trains, buses, passenger terminals, airports, and trains. The order follows another restriction that mandates wearing face masks on federal properties, including buildings and land.

Biden announced earlier, before his inauguration, that he will approve such executive orders for travel.

Most airline companies in the U.S have already required masks wearing on planes and have warned to place passengers on no-fly blacklists if they decline. Mask-wearing guidelines in U.S. airports vary since most have to conform to both local and state policies.

Since May, Amtrak has asked passengers to use facemask on trains. On Thursday, a representative from the company told The Hill that

“a federal directive that passengers are required to comply with would reinforce our current policy.”

The directive was issued the same day when Biden’s choice, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg to be the Transportation Department’s chair, had his confirmation session in the Senate. He highlighted safety in public transportation amidst the COVID-19 crisis.

With  Airlines for America (A4A) as a representative, key U.S. airlines have petitioned against the federal government directing mask-wearing on airplanes, saying that there’s no equivalent requisite for other industries.

However, the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), has urged the government to intervene since May. The U.S airport’s representative added that flight crews and pilot groups have demanded a countrywide regulation calling for mask-wearing in planes and ports.

On Thursday, A4A CEO Nicholas Calio remarked that while the organization appreciates Biden’s move, he said that U.S. airlines have already been imposing mask-wearing since April of last year.

Calio also said that

“U.S. airlines have been supportive of a federal mandate as an additional layer of support and welcome today’s Executive Order, which will strengthen our flight crews’ ability to enforce face-covering requirements for the duration of the pandemic.”

Meanwhile, CEO Kevin Burke of ACI-NA was grateful for Biden’s directive, adding that in May, it asked the Trump administration to order a mask-wearing order to re-introduce confidence on the travelers across the nation.

Source: The Hill