Flight attendants in the United States are asking the US government to freeze all leisure air travel due to the risks of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In recent reports, there have been situations wherein airplanes have been packed with passengers not wearing masks, and this has certainly made its way to the news which has sparked fears among vulnerable flight crews.
Flight attendants pens open letter to halt airline travel
The pandemic has prompted a very strong reaction from the Union of Flight Attendants, and they are now reaching out to the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the Department of Transportation to end all air travel until the coronavirus is contained.
Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), wrote an open letter to Elaine Chao and Alex Azar, the Transportation Secretary and the Health Secretary, respectively, saying that "at airlines employing AFA member flight attendants, at least 250 have tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and flight attendants have died as a result of the virus too."
According to Forbes, Nelson has also stated that flight crews are questioning whether or not they have unknowingly been contributing to the spread of the virus.
Be more like Canada
The letter also requested that the wearing of masks should be required in all airports and planes for all passengers, employees, and crew. The letter also stated that the United States should follow the lead of Canada. The country has taken a much stronger approach and perform stricter precautions than the US.
"Canada encourages the use of masks on all modes of public transport and requires all air travelers to wear masks that cover their mouth and nose . . . at screening checkpoints, . . . when they cannot physically distance from others, or as directed by the airline employees," Nelson wrote.
The open letter also called on the US government to do their part in containing the situation, stating that "For air travelers, we recommend that the federal government provide all airports sufficient numbers of disposable cloth or paper masks that are more effective than homemade masks at limiting viral spread. These should be provided free to all members of the public entering airport buildings with the stipulation that they are worn at all times on airport property and airplanes, and only removed momentarily when necessary for identity verification or food and drink."
This is not the first time the AFA has called for an end to airline travel due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
On March 31, as told by Forbes, the AFA had put out a press release asking the Department of Transportation to consider halting all flights.
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