(Reuters) – Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Friday said he would mandate masks in all interstate U.S. transportation if elected after the Trump administration rejected requirements.
“As president, I will mandate mask-wearing in all federal buildings and all interstate transportation because masks save lives – period,” Biden said in a speech in Delaware. “Wearing masks is not a political statement, it is a scientific imperative.” On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a “strong recommendation” that all passengers and employees on airplanes, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride-share vehicles wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The interim CDC guidance urges facial coverings at transportation hubs like airports and train stations, saying masks “will protect Americans and provide confidence that we can once again travel more safely even during this pandemic.” Airlines, U.S. passenger railroad Amtrak and most public transit systems and U.S. airports require all passengers and workers to wear facial coverings, as do ride-sharing firms Uber UBER.N and Lyft LYFT.O.
Delta Air Lines DAL.N said in a memo made public Friday that it had banned 460 people to date for failing to wear masks. The White House has rejected calls from U.S. health experts to mandate masks in transportation. MORE
