Congressional committee pushes bill requiring face masks on public transport

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Legislators approved a bill that will require the wearing of face protection of all commuters in public transportations.
• Rep. David Price, the bill’s sponsor, said wearing facemask is the first line of defense in preventing the spread of coronavirus, but the government did not prioritize it.
• Trump does not usually wear face masks in public, and it was only on Saturday that he was seen using one.

On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee gave a go to a bill calling for workers and passengers taking public transportation to use face masks for the period of the coronavirus outbreak.

Rep. David Price, D- North Carolina, said the masks are useful, but the Trump administration did not act on its implementation. Price heads the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations subcommittee in the lower chamber.

All of the committee members voted for the passing of the policy, which was sponsored and amendment by Price.

Price said the amendment aims to keep the general public safe,  including commuters, travellers, and front-line staffers.

Face masks have become an initial defense against the spread of coronavirus, but the use of the equipment has been politicized several times. The thinking has been shifted recently, though.

In the past few weeks, Republican governors, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, have earlier avoided masks and obstructed local mandates about coronavirus measures as new cases spiked in their states.

President Donald Trump was seen wearing face protection in public on Saturday for the first time during his Walter Reed National Military Medical Center visit.

The mask bill revision has also reflected the same message in the House-promoted HEROES Act, the COVID-19 relief bill passed in May. The Senate overruled the proposal and is discussing with the House to have a bilateral deal for the succeeding COVID-19 relief aid.

The adjustment was approved as part of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development subsidy bill for 2021, which was to progress through the committee along with party participation.

The House will likely include the measure on the package for allocation bills for July 23 and 24.

Source: The Hill