With the COVID-19 vaccination program across the United States, health authorities are beginning to withhold the face mask guidelines for fully vaccinated passengers. Nearly 10% of the U.S. population is now fully vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Monday relaxed its guidelines for the face mask for the people. This is possibly good news for airlines and the airline industry.
Can’t fully vaccinated passengers now wear masks on flights?
In the short term, travelers should not expect any immediate changes in the face-covering rules in the US airlines. Monday’s updated CDC guidelines for public health for people who have been fully vaccinated relax the rules in three ways.
First, people who are fully vaccinated can visit others who are fully vaccinated indoors without wearing masks or removing them physically. It’s not really going to work on planes unless every other person in the plane has been fully vaccinated.
Second, people who are fully vaccinated can visit non-vaccinated individuals from one household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distance.
Finally, people who have been fully vaccinated may refrain from quarantine and testing after a known exposure if they are asymptomatic.
Otherwise, the CDC says it’s normal when it comes to face masks. The CDC recommends that face masks remain in public spaces. This includes airport terminals or if you mix with groups of people who have not been vaccinated from different households – it sounds a lot like your typical airplane passenger cabin.
The CDC remains recommended in these environments: people still wear face masks, practice social distance and good hygiene measures.
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As a result, the new CDC guidelines will not have much effect on the face mask rules when you are currently flying in the United States. Under federal law, it is mandatory to wear a face mask on all domestic flights in the United States.
“According to federal law, all travelers must wear a face mask at the airport, including customer for customers, airport lounges, gates and luggage, and on board during their entire flight,” says United Airlines. This is a message that is repeated at major US airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
However, the industry group Airlines For America welcomes the updated guidelines of the CDC. While this makes no immediate difference to the rules of the airlines, it is a trend in the right direction.
“Since the onset of this crisis, US airlines have relied on science to help decisions continually reevaluate their processes, procedures and protocols,”“An American spokesman for Airlines told Simple Flying today.
“We continue to work with the CDC and other appropriate authorities to ensure the implementation of travel policies and measures that put the safety and well-being of all passengers and employees first.”
The CDC still urges people to avoid travel
The CDC continues to appeal to people to avoid travel and stay at home. The public health organization is currently declaring;
“Masks are required on airplanes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling within, inside or outside the United States, and in U.S. transportation centers such as airports and stations.”
The CDC recommends that public transportation environments, such as aircraft, may be at higher risk for COVID-19. This is not a message that airlines and industry groups like Airlines for America want to hear.
Airlines for America claims that the risk of charging COVID-19 during a flight is very low. Despite the publicity surrounding the updated CDC guidelines, anyone boarding the plane in the United States will not see any changes to the face mask rules.
What do you think? Should the CDC have gone further in its update and allowed people who have been fully vaccinated not to wear face masks on airplanes? Post a comment and let us know.