Doctor Anthony Fauci has said it cannot see the end of masks being worn on planes, although airline executives are at pains to emphasize the efficacy of their air purification systems.
On Wednesday, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said ‘masks don’t add much, if anything’ to fighting the spread of COVID-19 on airplanes.
Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor Joe Bidensaid that he does not share Kelly’s view. Kelly himself tested positive the day after his congressional testimony.
Asked Sunday during an interview on ABC’s Meet the Press whether he thought the end of face masks on planes was visible, Fauci replied: ‘I don’t think so.’
He continued: ‘I think when you’re working with a closed space, even if the filtration is good, that you want to go that extra step.
‘When you have people, you know you get a flight from Washington to San Francisco, it’s a flight of over five hours.
‘Even if you have a good filtration system, I still believe that doing a mask is a prudent thing to do and we should do it.’
Anthony Fauci appeared on ABC’s This Week on Sunday morning, and said face masks were still required on planes
Host Jonathan Carl asked Fauci if he thought the masks on planes would soon become obsolete. Fauci replied: ‘I don’t think so’
Fauci said a federal mandate on face masks on planes has been in place since February, and will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Pictured is a plane in May 2020, before the mandate came into force
Wearing a face mask on the plane is now routine
Fauci told NBC’s Meet the Press that people who were fully vaccinated did not need to isolate if they came into contact with an infected person.
“If you get vaccinated and you’re exposed, you don’t have to isolate yourself,” Fauci said.
‘Some people (do), and I think it would be wiser to get tested.’
Kelly, 66, sat during Wednesday’s Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing – titled ‘Oversight of the US Airline Industry’ – between American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, which was about three years old. Was without a mask for hours. ,
To the left of Kirby sat Delta Air Line COO John Laughter and Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) President Sarah Nelson.
Kelly, who plans to retire in early 2022, received a positive test result on Thursday after experiencing mild symptoms.
The spokeswoman said Kelly has been fully vaccinated and boosted, and tested negative “multiple” times before Wednesday’s hearing.
CNBC reported that the other four members of the panel — Parker, Kirby, Laughter and Nelson — tested negative during the hearing on Friday and will continue to investigate and monitor for symptoms.
During the hearing, all four airline executives said they are confident HEPA filtration systems are keeping passengers safe.
“I think we all now generally agree that pressurized air changes the air cycle in cabins, and the filtration system is better than in many indoor spaces,” said Laughter, Delta’s COO.
United CEO Kirby said, “Airplane is the safest place where you can be indoors.
American Airlines CEO Parker said: ‘The plane is the safest place you can be.’
Yet Nelson, who represents more than 50,000 flight attendants at 17 airlines, said while filtration was useful, other layers of protection were also necessary.
‘It is therefore important to recognize that the safe controlled environment on aircraft is a layered safety protocol, which includes aircraft hygiene and includes service procedures and includes HEPA filtration which is not on all aircraft, and includes all people wearing masks. Are included.’
Nelson pointed out that not all planes have HEPA filtration and not all passengers are vaccinated.
On Thursday, as news of Kelly’s diagnosis spread, and people questioned his wisdom of ditching face masks, Delta CEO Ed Bastian — who was not at the hearing — told CNBC that he was talking about the mask issue with other people. The airline officials did not agree with the assessment. ,
“Especially as we see Omicron entering our country, masks are going to be as important as protection for some time,” Bastian said.
Parker then posted his status on Instagram.
He wrote, ‘I agree with my fellow CEOs that boarding a plane proves to be a safe and healthy indoor environment.
‘I did this by saying ‘I agree’ and then talking about the air quality.
‘I didn’t mention masks or the federal mask mandate, but my consent was vague and it’s my fault for not being clear in my response.
‘We support the federal mask mandate. full stop.
‘This was issued by the TSA and in consultation with the CDC and other health experts to protect the safety and well-being of our customers and team members.’
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