The advocacy group Airlines for America issued President Joe Biden a letter demanding the end of mask mandates for transportation, and other COVID-19 requirements, such as pre-departure testing for international flights.
The letter from the group’s board of directors was signed by the leaders of 10 major U.S. airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines Holdings, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines.
Others include the leaders of UPS Airlines, FedEx Express, JetBlue Airways, Alaska Air Group, and Atlas Air Worldwide.
“We are encouraged by the current data and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions from coast to coast, which indicate it is past time to eliminate COVID-era transportation policies,” the group wrote in its letter, which comes as overall numbers of infections decline in the nation, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
All 50 U.S. states have announced plans to lift indoor mask mandates.
The airlines’ CEOs and presidents said they implemented various policies voluntarily at the start, including mask mandates, contact tracing, and enhancing cleaning protocols, and later followed measures imposed by the CDC including pre-departure testing and vaccination requirements for international travelers.
“However, much has changed since these measures were imposed and they no longer make sense in the current public health context. The persistent and steady decline of hospitalization and death rates are the most compelling indicators that our country is well protected against severe disease from COVID-19,” the group wrote.
“Given that we have entered a different phase of dealing with this virus, we strongly support your view that ‘COVID-19 need no longer control our lives.’
“Now is the time for the Administration to sunset federal transportation travel restrictions—including the international predeparture testing requirement and the federal mask mandate—that are no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment.”
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