US airlines call for removal of COVID-19 testing regulations

Although the number of COVID-19 cases in the US has dropped sharply in the past 2 months and epidemic prevention measures are being lifted across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earlier this month extended the regulations. Mandatory mask wearing for an additional 30 days, through mid-April, and maintain mask-wearing requirements for airlines.

However, the CEOs of 10 US-based passenger and cargo airlines, including Delta, American and United Airlines, sent a letter to President Biden, stating: “Now is the time for the administration to lift restrictions on interstate transportation, including testing for international arrivals and mandatory mask wearing.” In the letter, the CEOs said that the above regulations “no longer match the reality of the current epidemiological situation”.

The letter states that while airlines and employees had supported the federal requirement to wear face masks in the early stages of enforcement, they now feel it is no longer necessary. “The fact that hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 are falling consistently are indications that the United States is well protected against this disease.” The CEOs also added: “As we have entered another phase in the response to the virus, we support the view that ‘COVID-19 can no longer control our lives’.”

Another argument raised in the letter is that the burden of implementing mandatory requirements for wearing face masks and testing before boarding has been placed on airline staff over the past two years, when this is not a function. skills they are trained to do, and expose them to daily challenges when passengers fail to comply, affecting their own comfort at work.

Citing in-flight ventilation and high rates of immunity across the country from vaccinations, the number of people who have had COVID-19 and the most recent CDC guidance showing that 99% of Americans live in areas with high rates of infection. If the rate of infection is low or moderate, there is no need to wear masks in closed spaces anymore, CEOs think it’s time to lift these regulations on planes. The letter also states that masks will still be accepted if guests voluntarily wear them after the mandatory wearing is lifted

The airlines also asked President Biden to remove the requirement for pre-departure testing for international passengers, arguing that this measure was not effective. According to the CEOs, the World Health Organization (WHO) in January 2022 affirmed that epidemic prevention measures such as wearing masks and testing “should be based on risk assessments”. The UK, Canada and the European Union (EU) have acknowledged this fact and lifted these travel regulations. CEOs believe that continuing to maintain the above regulations in the US will reduce the competitiveness of the travel and tourism industry by increasing costs and burdens for passengers who want to move to the US.