US: Trump administration calls for masks throughout air travel, other guidelines for Covid-19 era

The Trump administration on Thursday said air travellers should wear face coverings like masks and announced a series of other guidelines aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 in air travel. Major US airlines require air travellers to wear masks onboard flights and have recently warned travellers that they will refuse service to customers who don’t comply, with a few exceptions like medical issues. “Airlines and airports are strongly encouraged to require that everyone correctly wear a mask or cloth face covering in shared spaces,” with a few exceptions such as medical issues or when eating or drinking, federal officials said in their guidelines. “Wearing a mask or cloth face covering is particularly necessary any time social distancing cannot be maintained.” They also called for airlines to collect passenger health declarations as well as contact information to aid government disease-tracing efforts. The recommendations were jointly issued by the Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services. <br/>