US Fauci says we should not 'even be considering' removing masks on planes and calls for unvaccinated passengers to be barred from flights

Link (Archive)

Fauci says we should not 'even be considering' removing masks on planes and calls for unvaccinated passengers to be barred from flights​

• CDC Director Dr Anthony Fauci said that the idea of removing masks off during air travel 'is really not something we should even be considering'
• Fauci also mentioned the possibility of a vaccine mandate for domestic and international air travel to increase the percentage of vaccinated Americans
• On Dec. 15, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said in front of a U.S. Senate panel that masks 'don't add much, if anything' to protect passengers from COVID-19
• As of Dec. 21, 62,211,823 Americans had received a booster, or 30.4 percent of the country's fully vaccinated population, according to data from the CDC
• Fauci added that mandatory facial-wearing on airplanes might be here to stay forever

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, told Americans on Sunday that removing masks on airplanes is 'not something we should even be considering,' as hundreds of flights in the U.S. continue to be canceled due to the spread of the Omicron variant across the country.

Appearing on ABC's This Week, Fauci made the comment while answering Jonathan Karl's question on the possibility of introducing a vaccine mandate for domestic air travel.

'We want to make sure people keep their masks on. I think the idea of taking masks off, in my mind, is really not something we should even be considering,' Fauci said.

Earlier this month, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said in front of a U.S. Senate panel hearing that masks 'don't add much, if anything' to protect airline passengers from spreading COVID.

'And of course, the airline CEOs were suggesting that — you know, that we may not — may no longer need a mask. I hear you loud and clearly, you disagree with that on an — on the airplane,'

Fauci disagreed with the airline executive's view and then mentioned the possibility of introducing a vaccine mandate for domestic and international air travel to increase the percentage of vaccine rollout across the U.S.

'A vaccine requirement for a person getting on the plane is just another level of getting people to have a mechanism that would spur them to get vaccinated; namely, you can't get on a plane unless you're vaccinated, which is just another one of the ways of getting requirements, whatever that might be,' Fauci said.

'So I mean, anything that could get people more vaccinated would be welcome. But with regard to the spread of virus in the country, I mean, I think if you look at wearing a mask and the filtration on planes, things are reasonably safe,' he continued.

Overall, 204,740,321 Americans or 62 percent of the population have received both COVID-vaccine doses.

As of Dec. 21, 62,211,823 Americans had received a booster, or 30.4 percent of the country's fully vaccinated population, according to the CDC's data.

 

[JambledUpWords]

I'll just build my own online payments system while I'm at it.

If you’re going to be this defeatist, you are a cuck.

 

[The Ugly One]

If you’re going to be this defeatist, you are a cuck.

Your idea of "winning" is to just not have air travel any more.

 

[Some Badger]

Given the efficacy of aircraft filtration systems, the mask is little more than a totem that makes people gullible to parrot the CDC incessantly feel safer about flying, not it'll ever be enough to satisfy them. Fauci clearly doesn't understand how airplanes work, and since he's now advocating for vaccine mandates for even domestic travel, doesn't seem to understand the Tenth Amendment either.

 

[JambledUpWords]

Your idea of "winning" is to just not have air travel any more.

I’m not against air travel, but I’ll forgo it if it means helping give airlines another 2020 fiscal year in the future. With inflation being the way it is, flights might just go down from that alone.

 

[The Ugly One]

I’m not against air travel, but I’ll forgo it if it means helping give airlines another 2020 fiscal year in the future. With inflation being the way it is, flights might just go down from that alone.

How exactly do you think air travel works for all but a select few without airlines? Sounds like your ideal is private jets for Davos attendees, ground travel for the rest of us. This is winning?

 

[ShortBusDriver]

Personally speaking, there's no physical way to live in driving distance of both my family and my wife's. Destroying the average person's ability to travel a thousand miles in two hours isn't really something to celebrate...just another lose/lose the elites have got us into. I'll just build my own online payments system while I'm at it.

Yet it's the backbone of the Build Back Better / Green New Deal.

The idea of personally owned electric cars for the masses is a farce.

 

[Fomo Hoire]

From the one time I had to travel by plane to go to my sister’s wedding in 2020, one loophole I noticed in the mask mandates was bringing enough snacks with you and eating the entire time of the flight. They allow you to take off your mask if you are eating/drinking.

I have zero experience flying, please elaborate.

They don't force you to buy airplane food? You can bring your own?

What's most efficient? Both in terms of volume to time and in terms of not becoming a beauty parlor candidate. Possibly also satisfaction, but not cost since I'm guessing cost isn't an important metric if you already paid for a plane ticket.

Do they police you like "sir, you've been gripping that summer sausage for half an hour without chewing it and it's making people uncomfortable"?

 

[eDove]

I had a severe phobia of travel for pretty much my whole life. Starting in 2018, I conquered the fear and took my first flight. I went on to take 3-5 more. I loved the experiences.

They lost a brand new customer. I refuse to wear a fucking mask a whole flight. I can't STAND that shit. It's pointless theatrics. The unvaccinated ban isn't what I'm apprehensive about 'cause I don't think that'd happen for a long time, it's the motherfucking masks. I'd rather bike across state lines than be forced to wear a mask for eight hours.

I wish airports weren't all extensions of the Government. There needs to be private airports in the same way there're a few private train stations.

 

[JambledUpWords]

They don't force you to buy airplane food? You can bring your own?

Prior to boarding, if you have time to kill before flying, go to some of the convenience stores and buy food from there. After you have gone through security, you are allowed to buy food at the airport with you to take on the plane. Some places sell things like vegetable cups, bottled water, and lower calorie snack options. Go for those things and eat as slowly as possible. If you’re a really slow eater, they can’t really say anything to you. Might be harder to do on a flight longer than 3 hours, but very doable on a 1-2 hour flight. The key is just eating slowly.

 

[The Ugly One]

Yet it's the backbone of the Build Back Better / Green New Deal.

The idea of personally owned electric cars for the masses is a farce.

It currently costs around $500 to charge a Tesla in Germany due to the incredible crush on natural gas demand there is as coal and nuclear gets shut down. There aren't enough resources to replace gasoline cars with electric; what will happen is the kind of person with a household income over $150K will have a car, and the rest of you suckers will walk or take the bus.

The elites don't care if you refuse to fly. It's win/win for them. Either you comply with their mandates, or your ability to move about is restricted. I'm sure you'll see similar right-wing coping mechanisms as social restrictions are placed on getting mortgages and buying groceries. "Heh, I'll show them...I'll eat bugs and live in a pod! Big Beef and Big Mortgage will go under without my business!"

 

[JambledUpWords]

How exactly do you think air travel works for all but a select few without airlines? Sounds like your ideal is private jets for Davos attendees, ground travel for the rest of us. This is winning?

I meant more in the sense of only travel by plane if you absolutely have to. No need to take a private jet, but if some smaller airlines out there don’t require masks, those businesses could increase in revenue if bigger airlines still require masks. Smaller airlines that the average Joe could fly do exist, but they don’t go as far typically.

 

[The Ugly One]

I meant more in the sense of only travel by plane if you absolutely have to. No need to take a private jet, but if some smaller airlines out there don’t require masks, those businesses could increase in revenue if bigger airlines still require masks. Smaller airlines that the average Joe could fly do exist, but they don’t go as far typically.

The mask mandate is a TSA requirement, not an airline requirement. An airline's choices, right now, are

a) Masks
b) Cease operations

If the airlines that comply with federal regulations all go under, there just won't be any airlines.

 

[Fomo Hoire]

Personally speaking, there's no physical way to live in driving distance of both my family and my wife's. Destroying the average person's ability to travel a thousand miles in two hours isn't really something to celebrate...just another lose/lose the elites have got us into. I'll just build my own online payments system while I'm at it.

If anyone is fortunate enough to be able to pay more for a flight, maybe befriend someone who flies planes for a hobby.

That does not necessarily mean befriend a billionaire, but it might mean join a church. I don't remember what they're called but I heard of one... Club? Charity? That buys some smaller used planes and collectively owns them to distribute the costs or something. The charity part comes in the form of they work with hospitals to transport patients between hospitals as needed, but they also fly for fun. I'm not actually sure if it's one organization or maybe a club that also participates in the charity.

One time I overheard one of those guys saying he was doing a flight on short notice because one of his buddies had a sudden emergency and offered to pay him the cost of the flight for a personal trip. The dude seemed happy to do it because he got a free flight out of it.

I've also overheard that that club has issues with people trying to use them to get more flight hours in for licensing purposes without joining the community/doing charity flights, so when I say these guys aren't rich private plane owners I mean it. They're certainly not on the edge of poverty but they are seriously only able to keep their planes by buying used and pooling costs.

 

[The Ugly One]

If anyone is fortunate enough to be able to pay more for a flight, maybe befriend someone who flies planes for a hobby.

That does not necessarily mean befriend a billionaire, but it might mean join a church. I don't remember what they're called but I heard of one... Club? Charity? That buys some smaller used planes and collectively owns them to distribute the costs or something. The charity part comes in the form of they work with hospitals to transport patients between hospitals as needed, but they also fly for fun. I'm not actually sure if it's one organization or maybe a club that also participates in the charity.

One time I overheard one of those guys saying he was doing a flight on short notice because one of his buddies had a sudden emergency and offered to pay him the cost of the flight for a personal trip. The dude seemed happy to do it because he got a free flight out of it.

I've also overheard that that club has issues with people trying to use them to get more flight hours in for licensing purposes without joining the community/doing charity flights, so when I say these guys aren't rich private plane owners I mean it. They're certainly not on the edge of poverty but they are seriously only able to keep their planes by buying used and pooling costs.

If you're charging for flights, you're subject to the mask mandate; this includes private jets and charter flights, though obviously that's not enforced for the beautiful people. Flying somebody across the country as a personal favor isn't affordable at any kind of scale.

IMO the only long-term solution is a long march back through the institutions, beginning with local party chapters. You'd be surprised at how much effect you can have at the precinct level, because hardly anybody shows up there.

 

[updoot farmer]

You're never flying unmasked again. It'll be the legacy of COVID the same way taking off your shoes and going through security is the legacy of 9/11.

Fuck that, I'll get my own plane. With blackjack! And hookers!

 

[Billy Beer]

I agree. The unvaxxed should be banned from all travel, all hospitality businesses and all large stadiums, for two reasons:

1) I want to see those industries crash, with the weasel words and deflection of blaming anything but the drop in customers

and 2) I want to hear their weasel words on why covid cases are still sky fucking high, when everyone is multijabbed, masked and there danged anti-vaxxorz are locked away from society.

Accelerate this shit as quick as possible, so their fucking lies can be put on display for all to see.

 

[Fomo Hoire]

If you're charging for flights, you're subject to the mask mandate; this includes private jets and charter flights, though obviously that's not enforced for the beautiful people. Flying somebody across the country as a personal favor isn't affordable at any kind of scale.

I'm not trying to address scale, I'm trying to look at other ways to bypass the system on an individual level. If you want to sit there in learned helplessness that's on you. As far as I'm concerned if you can travel at all, you're already out of my economic class. Keyword: Travel, not fly. I consider road trips via car nice things too. Some of my extended family haven't seen their birth families in decades and that's not for lack of wanting to.

I'm talking about very very small flights here, like 2 people on planes that can't even handle stretchers. Calling it a jet or a charter flight gives the entirely wrong impression. Imagine like the ridiculous clown car of airplanes. (when the charity side of things was being described to me, there was mention of different types of patients they'd fly and how they'd have to use a different plane if the patient can't lift themself for long enough to get through the door, there's that little leeway).

And the dude wasn't charging for the flights, the recipient of the flight just offered to cover gas because it would seriously be a dick move to ask for that for free, especially on such short notice. It's not a business,

 

[The Ugly One]

I'm not trying to address scale, I'm trying to look at other ways to bypass the system on an individual level. If you want to sit there in learned helplessness that's on you.

I'm 100% against right-wing learned helplessness. Wasn't joking at all about starting at the precinct level.

 

[Car Won't Crank]

The mask mandate is a TSA requirement, not an airline requirement. An airline's choices, right now, are

a) Masks
b) Cease operations

If the airlines that comply with federal regulations all go under, there just won't be any airlines.

I am for all the domestic airlines going bust. Govt bailouts and subsidies can only keep them afloat for so long if enough people don't fly in the midst of these ridiculous mandates. It only takes a year for airlines to accumulate a major loss without any customers. Braniff International went bust in a similar manner.

 

[Zero Day Defense]

Put aside the air filtration systems on airplanes, whatever those may be. Put aside that the most dominant strain doesn't have the symptomatic onset delay that the earliest ones did.

You're in an enclosed space for several hours in the air. The masks don't stop you from breathing, so you still breathe out air. For several hours. On the off chance there are people with COVID on that plane, that airspace is getting saturated with COVID and unless you're actually wearing a mask worth a damn (and most aren't even wearing them correctly, much less wearing N/P/R 95/97/100s), just being in an airplane is a ready risk if you're so worried about spread.

And why are they still forcing vaccination on the population in the absence of a vaccine for this new variant, or even the delta variant? When the labcoats prepare the seasonal flu vaccine, they take an educated guess at what's going to be the most relevant strain that season, and if you get some other strain, sucks to be you. Now they're hammering on taking a vaccine for a variant that hasn't been relevant since the start of this year, and is on its way to become even less relevant as we speak?

The most conversation I've had in the last year involves explaining where I am with my work tasks during morning meetings. 80% of my interactions outside of work have been terse and transactional, and I recently realized-- with some regret-- that I haven't had any love for 85% of the non-transactional interactions, in part because those involve people who think we just need to lay low for a variant that's currently barely killed anyone while we're all literally vaxxmaxxed, after "laying low" for nearly two years, after already inviting friends for celebrations and holiday visits, and after going out on dates. I had a doctor fucking lie to my face and three other people that there are women losing pregnancies because of the Omicron variant, and the reason I didn't call him out on that obvious bullshit that at very least couldn't be remotely explained with how recent the strain is, is because I don't care to talk to him at all to begin with.

I'm afraid of seeing how much more "tired" I can get.