The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week has dealt a severe blow to the airline industry, which is struggling to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
While the CDC has issued a series of recommendations that allow vaccinated and low-risk individuals more freedom to assemble, the CDC director Rochelle WalenskyRochelle Walensky Overnight care: After a brutal year, is the US approaching normal? | CDC says it is safe for vaccinated people to gather inside Biden will give a first-class address on the anniversary of the pandemic blockade Nation takes steps toward normalcy after years in CDC blockade: vaccinated people can safely gather inside without masks MORE said Monday that the agency’s travel advice remains the same for both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans: don’t.
But some experts said the guidance was confusing, and the airline industry, while saying it would continue to work with the CDC, stressed its efforts to prevent coronavirus transmission on board aircraft and was confident that its approach was safe.
“We remain confident that this stratified approach significantly reduces risk and we are encouraged that science continues to confirm that there is a very low risk of transmitting the virus on board aircraft,” said a spokesman for Airlines for America, which supports major airlines in US.
President Biden
Joe BidenCNN: The Bidens dogs removed from the White House The federal judge considers that “shaman QAnon” is too dangerous to be released from prison. Pelosi says the Capitol riot was one of the most difficult moments of her career at the beginning of his tenure he made wearing masks while traveling by plane a federal mandate, rather than a requirement from American airlines. The White House also recently discontinued consideration of a test requirement for domestic air travel.
“We continue to work with the CDC and other relevant authorities to ensure the implementation of travel policies and measures that prioritize the safety and well-being of all passengers and employees,” the Airlines for America spokesman said.
Delta, Southwest, United and American Airlines have been postponed to Airlines for America for comment.
Leana Wen, a professor of public health at George Washington University and a former Baltimore health commissioner, called the guidelines “far too cautious.”
“A lot of families are separated from each other and have to travel to see each other. I’m really amazed at why the travel guidance hasn’t changed. Traveling has a very low risk – imagine if you travel in your individual car or even by plane – whenever everyone wears masks, the risk of coronavirus is very low, “she said.
The airline industry did not request any changes to the masking policies, but did request a set of criteria that could be used to adjust its travel guide.
“We continue to urge the CDC to establish and release a set of criteria that will be used to adjust its travel guide,” an industry source said.
Airlines for America and other industry groups this week called on the Biden administration to develop COVID-19 health accreditations that include information on CDC-led tests and vaccinations so that travelers can have identification checks and health records on hand. personal.
The US Tourism Association stressed that overcoming the pandemic is a priority, but also that targets should be set for easing restrictions.
“We believe it is essential for US public health officials to set goals for relaxing official travel guidance. The one-year travel break has kept people at bay and caused severe damage to the economy and jobs, and vaccines are progressing and encouraging case trends in many areas, it should be possible to consider a time frame for a reopening. broader travel. “said Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president for public affairs and politics.
Sara Nelson, the international president of the Flight Companion Association-CWA, did not criticize the CDC’s recommendation on Monday and said the United States is on the road to recovery.
“The CDC’s policy has not changed. This reinforces the urgency of increasing vaccine capacity and distribution, as well as general efforts to end the pandemic. COVID is the problem. We need to stay vigilant and vaccinate people as soon as possible, “she said.
The CDC did not respond to a request for comment on what needs to be done to lift the travel restriction.
“We are really trying to restrict travel in this current time frame and we hope that our next set of guidelines will have more science in terms of what vaccinated people can do, maybe travel being among them,” Walensky said Monday.
Representative. Rodney Davis
Rodney Lee DavisThe law passed by the House seeks foreign intervention Biden to meet with bipartisan MPs on infrastructure The House adopts voting rights and the election reform bill MORE (R-Ill.), A member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said the White House should stop “embracing the blocking mentality.”
“The whole point of vaccinating Americans against COVID is to save lives, while accelerating the return of our country to normal. right from the administration of the vaccine, “he said.
The CDC also recommended that vaccinated people should not be quarantined or tested if they come in contact with someone with COVID-19 and do not develop symptoms.
Wen called this guidance confusing.
“If I say you shouldn’t even be quarantined after being exposed to someone with known COVID-19, you can’t get on a plane and sit there, masked, with people who, chances are, don’t COVID-19? It just doesn’t make sense, “she said.
Air travel is slowly returning, but has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) examined 1,277,719 passengers on Sunday, and the last time the volume was so high was on January 3, when 1,327,289 passengers were selected for holiday travel.
On Saturday, the TSA checked 991,547 passengers. The previous year, on March 6, the agency checked 2,198,517 passengers.
The coronavirus rescue legislation that the Senate passed on Saturday is set to provide aid to the industry. Airlines received a $ 15 billion increase and an extension of the Payroll Support Program, which was a key provision in the CARES Act that expired on April 1.
The extension will allow airlines to keep workers on wages until September 30.
When pressured about the guidelines the CDC would give a governor on vaccinated people traveling back to their state, Walensky stressed that the recommendations have not changed.
“Our travel guide is unchanged and therefore we maintain any travel guide that is currently in effect. We would like to offer the opportunity to vaccinated grandparents to visit their children and grandchildren who are healthy and who are local, but now our travel guide has remained unchanged, ”he said.
Harvard University’s National Leadership Training Initiative has found “scientific evidence that the constant pursuit of a stratified approach serves as a powerful risk reduction strategy for transmitting SARS-VOC-2 on an aircraft,” according to a report released last month. .
The report, which assessed the risk of COVID-19 transmission during air travel, found a “very low probability” of being infected with COVID-19 from an aircraft and recommended following the multi-layered approach to wearing a mask. and physical distance as you climb and disconnect.
Wen fears that not allowing vaccinated people to travel could mean that unvaccinated people are not encouraged to consider vaccination as a return to normalcy.
“We need to become much clearer about the freedoms an individual can have once they have proof of vaccination,” she said. “I think that people who are fully vaccinated should be able to travel and should, in fact, be encouraged to travel, of course with all precautions.”