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The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) will deny all passengers who attempt to enter airport terminals, planes, trains or buses without a mask, and those who refuse could face federal fines, the federal authority said Sunday evening.
The rules for masks on transportation follow the Biden administration’s executive order that face covers must be worn on all federal property.
The new rule will take effect at midnight Monday evening and will remain in effect at least until May 11.
TSA officials did not specify the amount of the fine.
But documents obtained by CNN reveal that airlines and airports will be required to report anyone who refuses to wear a mask and comply with other COVID-19 measures.
From February 2, TSA will refuse passengers who refuse to wear masks at airports, on flights or other means of transport under its authority.
Passengers who refuse to mask themselves could face fines and will be reported to federal officials, according to the TSA’s Sunday announcement (pictured)
Coronavirus cases and deaths are finally on the decline in nearly every state in the United States.
But progress is precarious, and the United States has already seen how a spike in travel can fuel outbreaks of coronavirus cases after the aftermath of the Thanksgiving holiday that resulted in then-unprecedented rates of more than 200,000 daily infections and, later, more than 3,000 deaths per day.
President Biden signed 17 executive orders on his first day in office, including several to combat the pandemic, including the mask’s tenure.
Public health officials advised against a nationwide mask warrant, but that was in stark contrast to former President Trump’s approach to masking.
Research by airlines and university partners suggests that the risk of transmitting the coronavirus on an airplane, or even on subways and buses, is “ very low ” – with the appropriate measures in place.
Airports and airlines fall under the authority of the Federal Aviation Administration, which means they are subject to the same executive order that requires masks in the Oval Office.
The high rate of air replacement in airplanes helps prevent potentially infectious particles from drifting around the plane, but it is probably not enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on its own.
Travel is only a fraction of what it was in February 2019, but nearly six times as many people flew on January 31, compared to the low point for travel in the spring.
Over the past week, more than 700,000 people on average have passed through TSA checkpoints in the United States.
Air travel is the responsibility of the Federal Aviation Administration, which gives the Biden administration authority over airlines and the TSA.
However, most airlines already required all passengers to wear masks while traveling, in accordance with their company policies.
Last month, passengers en route to the Trump rally in Washington, DC, allegedly refused to wear masks, harassed other passenger crew members who, according to a Reuters report.
Several of these passengers have been prosecuted.
In addition to reinstating and extending travel bans lifted by the Trump administration shortly before inauguration day, Biden added the mask mandate, which will now have more legal force than the policies of private companies.
It also supports an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of passengers of all modes of public transportation to wear masks during travel, boarding and disembarking.
“ TSA will fully comply with Presidential Orders, CDC directives and DHS National Emergency Determination to ensure safe and healthy travel in all areas of transport, ” said Darby LaJoye, senior official responsible for tasks of the TSA administrator.
“This will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and encourage a unified government response.
“As we continue to experience the impacts of this pandemic, we are committed to ensuring that this measure is the right thing to do for the TSA workforce, our industry stakeholders and for passengers.
The directive seen by CNN will also require that the “ full names and contact details ” of any non-compliant airport passengers or passengers be submitted to federal officials.
He also orders the FSA to do “everything possible to disembark the person who refuses to comply” with the mask warrants.
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