Lawmakers Want Vaccine or Negative COVID Test in Order to Fly

Led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a small group of Democratic lawmakers has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to make it mandatory for Americans to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or negative test to take a domestic flight.

A letter signed by Feinstein (D-Calif.) and U.S. Representatives Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) was sent to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and FAA Administrator Steve Dickson, according to the Washington D.C.-based political media outlet The Hill.

“Ensuring the health and safety of air travelers and their destination communities is critical to mitigating the ongoing COVID-19 surge, especially as the virus continues to evolve,” the four lawmakers wrote.

With the Omicron variant of the virus now presentin 89 countries and almost every state in the U.S., the topic of mandating a vaccine or negative test has become front and center again.

The letter comes less than a week after Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly testified before a Congressional hearing and questioned whether airlines still needed to adhere to the federal mask mandate on planes, trains and buses – much less step it up a notch with making the vaccine or a negative test mandatory.

Ironically, Southwest announced two days after Kelly’s appearance in Washington that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

Feinstein and the congressmen noted in their letter that the Biden Administration has already enacted strict testing requirements for international visitors to the U.S., so making it mandatory for citizens taking domestic flights to show proof should be just as easy.

The Hill noted that President Biden appears to favor a method of proof before people can fly, although he is waiting to get more news from the scientific community.