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Delta’s health chief thinks the plane mask mandate will soon be lifted

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Protective masks are worn by passengers waiting to board the Delta Air Lines Inc. flight in Atlanta at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport. This is Wednesday, April 7, 2021.

Elijah Nouvelage | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Delta Air LinesHenry Ting, Chief Health Officer, stated that he believed that the federal mask mandate on airports and planes would be lifted “April 18th” or soon thereafter.

Ting stated that, while he didn’t know if the mandate would be lifted on April 18, TSA, CDC, and the White House were all closely watching the situation and will provide a “certainly provide a map.”

Ting stated that “we’ve known since the start of the pandemic that any restrictions must be lifted as soon it’s safe to,” and that there’s a transition from “a worldwide pandemic” to “a seasonal respiratory virus.”

Ting was a world-renowned cardiologist who was elected Delta’s chief health officer in January 2020.

The U.S. extended the requirement that masks are to be worn on planes and in airports, as well as on buses, trains, and other forms of transportation, through April 18 before it was set to expire on March 19. The mask mandate order was issued by the Biden Administration shortly after President Donald Trump’s January 2021 election. Since then, it has been repeatedly extended. Trump’s administration did not issue a mandate for masking. However, airlines including Delta issued their own requirements regarding masking back in 2020, when the pandemic began.

In recent months, the airline industry has been resisting any further extension of this mandate. Ed Bastian from Delta, together with the CEOs American Airlines, Alaska Air Group, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United AirlinesBiden received a joint message from he and other signatories stating that it was “past time” to end COVID’s era transportation policies. This includes the mandate to place masks on aircrafts and at airports.

We strongly agree with your belief that COVID-19 does not need to control our lives, given that we are now in a new phase of dealing this virus. the letter says. Additionally, the CEOs called for an end to international pre-departure screening requirements for U.S. Inbound Passenger.

Ting indicated that the CDC was aware of the fact that planes and airports require masks, and he said that restaurants, churches, and sporting venues are places in America where it is not necessary to wear masks.

He noted also the positive impact on Delta’s crew, workers and flight attendants that following and enforced those rules over the past two years had. The record 5981 report of Delta employees accounted for more than 71%. unruly airline passenger behavior in 2021 were tied to disputes over mask mandates, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

He said, “This has been a two-year period that’s been difficult on our people.” “This is where the CDC seems to be focusing on when it is safe for an exit ramp, and lifting the mandate regarding masks.

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