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WASHINGTON D.C.: Some Senate Republicans have asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to end the requirement for fully vaccinated Americans to wear masks on airplanes, trains and buses, as well as in airports and train stations.
Senators Roger Wicker and Ted Cruz submitted a resolution urging the CDC to lift mask requirements, which were enacted on February 1.
“Over 150 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated and mask mandates have been lifted across the country. But the CDC inexplicably still hasn’t lifted the mask mandate for public transportation. It’s long past time for President Biden and the CDC to follow the science,” Cruz said, as quoted by Reuters
Those supporting the resolution said eliminating masks when using public transportation, “would incentivize a greater number of individuals to receive the COVID19 vaccine,” they said in a statement.
The CDC earlier announced that vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear masks in nearly all indoor spaces – with transportation being an exception.
Also, the Transportation Security Administration extended its earlier orders to enforce face mask requirements through September 13.
However, Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, representing nearly 50,000 flight attendants, said the union supported the order for passengers to wear face masks.
In 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration has received 2,350 reports of passengers refusing to abide by face mask requirements.
