Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced a bill Wednesday that would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Federal Aviation Administration to set new Covid-19 health guidelines for domestic air travel.
The goal of the U.S. Air Travel Public Safety Act is to “reduce passenger, crew member, and airport personnel risk of exposure to COVID-19 [and] decrease the risk of transmission of COVID-19 on board aircraft and to United States destination communities through air travel.”
The legislation would require all domestic travelers to show proof of vaccination, a negative Covid-19 test, or that the individual fully recovered from Covid-19.
We can’t allow upcoming holiday air travel to contribute to another surge in COVID cases. Today I introduced legislation requiring passengers on domestic flights to be vaccinated, test negative or be fully recovered from a previous COVID illness.https://t.co/vVRHM5OiuV
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 29, 2021
“We know that air travel during the 2020 holiday season contributed to last winter’s devastating COVID-19 surge. We simply cannot allow that to happen again,” Feinstein said in a statement.
“Ensuring that air travelers protect themselves and their destination communities from this disease is critical to prevent the next surge, particularly if we confront new, more virulent variants of COVID-19. This bill complements similar travel requirements already in place for all air passengers – including Americans – who fly to the United States from foreign countries. This includes flights from foreign countries with lower COVID-19 rates than many U.S. states.
Last month, the Biden administration announced foreign travelers wanting to come to the United States must show proof of vaccination and a negative Covid-19 test within three days of their flight.
“It only makes sense that we also ensure the millions of airline passengers that crisscross our country aren’t contributing to further transmission, especially as young children remain ineligible to be vaccinated," Feinstein added.
The bill comes as airlines are cracking down on their employees over vaccine mandates. United Airlines, for example, is in the process of firing nearly 600 unvaccinated personnel over their refusal to comply with the company's vaccination requirement.