In the United States, one of the few mask mandates that remains in effect is the one for air travel.
In virtually every other arena, from restaurants and bars to gyms, stores, malls, and other environments, people have the all clear to forgo face coverings, if they so choose.
Even new guidelines from the CDC have provided the all-clear for over 99% of Americans to take off their masks.
Ironically, many of these environments in which folks have been approved to go maskless have less filtration of air than the planes used for travel.
This is one of many reasons why multiple CEOs with different US airlines are saying Biden needs to roll back the federal mask mandate, as covered by Breitbart News.
The Case for Ending the Travel Mask Mandate
In a letter addressed to President Biden, airline CEOs did not mince words by any means.
These officials cited recent CDC guidance, along with reductions in COVID mortalities and hospitalizations, as the strongest indicators that it’s time to move beyond the federal mask mandate.
Furthermore, these airline CEOs stated the aforementioned mask mandate is no longer sensible, due to the changes that have taken place since the mandate went into effect.
Airlines to Biden: Drop the Mask Mandate.
10 CEOs (Alaska, American, Atlas, Delta, FedEx Express, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, United, UPS Airlines, and the CEO of Airlines for America) send letter to President Biden calling for end to mask mandate and predeparture testing. pic.twitter.com/4OxATsKGnf
— Asteri 🇺🇸 🇪🇸 (@AsteriWilde) March 24, 2022
Today, the American public has access to free-of-charge COVID vaccines and booster shots. There’s even another round of booster shots that are being prepared, despite medical officials claiming the original vaccines and boosters are “effective.”
Airline CEOs’ letter to Biden comes as Southwest flight attendants union TWU Local 556 also conveyed similar messages.
The union wrote to Biden and other officials within the federal government, calling for themselves and airline passengers to have a choice as to whether or not to wear masks amid air travel.
A shift away from mandates
If there’s one thing 2022 has done so far, it’s mark a very notable shift away from mandates.
A significant part of this shift arrived in January when the Supreme Court shut down the nationwide coronavirus vaccine mandate Biden tried to impose on anyone working for a business with 100+ employees.
Then, there have been various grassroots protests against these mandates, both here in the United States and also in other nations, like Canada.
“JetBlue, American Airlines & Southwest pilots are suing the CDC over the federal mask mandate”
“The union for [16,000] flight attendants at Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is asking the White House… to drop face mask mandates”https://t.co/xxoVNZBkEbhttps://t.co/W0OncWdCcf pic.twitter.com/f1ZGGxCcMf
— Prodigal Son (@ThePr0diga1S0n) March 26, 2022
The Canadian trucker convoy earlier this year made international headlines. It really drummed up support from people who are tired of governments using COVID as an excuse to push mandates.
All in all, this new letter from US airline CEOs makes it plainer than ever that just about everyone is ready to turn the page on mandates.
What you think about the nation’s airline CEOs urging the president to scrap the federal mask mandate for travel? We welcome you to leave your thoughts below in the comments section.
