The US response to the coronavirus pandemic has led to domestic travel confusion and countries around the world restricting American tourists.
“This is the strangest thing I’ve ever experienced in my 25 years on the job,” said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), about the final finale of Yahoo Finance (video above) . “I have never seen before that an administration has no plans to deal with an epidemic, a pandemic with a communicable disease. There is no plan in place, and there is no instruction from the federal government. “
Map by David Foster, Yahoo Finance
Much of Nelson’s frustration arises for the lack of national policies related to travel safety measures over masks, social distance, and cleaning. President Trump has for the most part avoided implementing any kind of directive at the national level as he continues to push for a complete recovery of the U.S. economy.
“What we see – because we do not have that kind of federal support – is that we have people … challenging whether they should wear a mask if not, in fact, just like smoking on an airplane, you can not smoke, “because you’re endangering the safety and health of everyone. And if you do, you’ll have heavy fines and maybe some time penalties.
Mask mandates have led to some passengers being escorted from planes for refusing to comply. On Friday, Delta (DAL) banned Robert O’Neill, the ex-Navy SEAL who claimed to have murdered terrorist Osama bin Laden, after he posted a photo of himself on Twitter on a plane that refused to wear a mask.
In July, passengers applauded after a woman was removed from an American Airlines (AAL) flight because she also refused to wear a mask.
Passengers pass through the most empty Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on May 12, 2020. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)
This is not the first time Nelson has indicated the lack of federal oversight on this issue.
In April, Nelson wrote an open letter to Transport Secretary Elaine Chao and Health Secretary Alex Azar asking Americans not to fly for leisure until the coronavirus was more under control in the US.
In May, Nelson called for a ‘federal action plan’ on U.S. airports, calling for airlines to implement masked policies for all their passengers and for the government to give employees the authority to refuse boarding to those who refuse to comply. .
Passengers, wearing almost all face masks, will board a flight from American Airlines to Charlotte on May 3, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by ELEONORE SENS / AFP via Getty Images)
All major airlines currently require passengers 2 years and older to wear a mask. Delta and Southwest Airlines (LUV) have kept middle seats open on their flights to support social distance.
Nelson reiterated that airlines need to take measures to make their passengers feel safe, and the federal government is doing more to help with that process.
“We need to have backing to make sure we actually follow the rules in the aviation industry to keep everyone safe, because it’s a space where you can not be socially remote,” she said. “And unless people feel confident that they will be safe when they buy a plane ticket, they will not buy one.”
@adrianambells.“data-reactid =” 97 “>Adriana is a reporter and editor who discusses health care policies and policies for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @adrianambells.
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