How’s this for bad timing? As COVID cases start rising again in the United States and summer travel picks up, Senator Rand Paul thinks it’s a good time to remove mask mandates on airplanes.
Paul, who says he hasn’t received the vaccine, makes no mention of allowing just those vaccinated to unmask. Instead, the Kentucky Republican suggests this should apply to everyone. This seems to be a talking point for the GOP. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) also weighed in on the matter this week.
Paul, Cruz and Wicker seem to be appealing to the “unruly-passenger” crowd. This week CNBC reported:
A majority of the Federal Aviation Administration’s unruly-passenger reports on airplanes stem from passengers who refuse to comply with mask mandates put in place to guard against the spread of Covid-19.
Roughly 75% of the unruly-passenger reports since Jan. 1 have started with people who didn’t want to wear their masks and escalated from there into profanity, shouting matches, even physical violence, the agency said.
This week the FAA took to Twitter to reminder travelers: The mask mandate remains in effect if you are on a plane or in an airport. The FAA has zero tolerance for not following crew instructions. The consequences are serious: $35K in fines or imprisonment.
Meanwhile, Fox News is also pushing the anti-mask talking point and is blaming flight attendants for being “the mask police.” One commentator even called them “Nazis” for daring to do their job and enforce the law.