10 Airlines Urge Biden to End Mask Mandates and Testing Requirements

The CEOs of 10 airlines and cargo carriers signed a letter that asks President Joe Biden to end the mask mandate and testing requirements for international travelers, reported CNN.

Airlines are tired and many travelers are weary from the pressures that testing requirements and the mask mandate put on them.

The CEOs' petition comes after CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that the new omicron sub-variant, BA.2, is more contagious than the original omicron strain.

Earlier this month the TSA moved the end of the transportation mask mandate to April 18 to give government agencies time to consult with the CDC on whether and when to remove the mask mandate, but now with the new covid strain, airlines want to make sure that the decision remains in effect. 

"Now is the time for the Administration to sunset federal transportation travel restrictions -- including the international pre-departure testing requirement and the federal mask mandate -- that are no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment," Industry group Airlines for America wrote.