A group of Democratic members of Congress have written to health and aviation authorities urging them to make proof of vaccination or a negative test mandatory for domestic flights.
Led by Senator Dianne Feinstein, the group of Democratic lawmakers have written to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asking them to introduce the stricter measures.
“Ensuring the health and safety of air travelers and their destination communities is critical to mitigating the ongoing COVID-19 surge, especially as the virus continues to evolve,” the lawmakers wrote.
Currently, masks are the only Covid-related requirement for travel on planes, trains and buses.
Last week, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly testified before a Congressional committee and questioned the need to adhere to the federally mandated mask rule. He pointedly didn’t wear a mask during his testimony.
Ironically, two days after addressing the committee, Kelly tested positive for Covid-19.
In their letter, Feinstein and her colleagues noted that there already were strict testing requirements for international visitors to the U.S. so ramping up the requirements for domestic travel would be relatively straightforward.
