TSA Will Require Employees To Wear Face Masks

Masks totally solve everything.

Wouldn’t this have been required and several places already such as JFK, LGA, SFO where masks were already required by state executive orders?

Finally? I thought this should’ve been a requirement like weeks ago....

@Lucky, you are a very skilled writer and I tremendously enjoy reading your articles but here is one thing that really bothers me. I know I'm being pedantic, but it seems every other article you write has a sentence which ends in "or... ?" It seems to me that this is a very lazy way to end your question when there are many better ways to actually finish your thought. I've been trying to ignore this for the past couple of years when it started appearing in your articles, but now I can't help but voice my displeasure, lol.

Given that airlines are now requiring passengers to wear masks, it would be nice to see them send out a couple of branded reusable cloth masks to their frequent flyers.

@Lukas, I think it may just be a habit of being a German speaker as well as an English one. I'm not a native German speaker myself, but I know they end a lot of their questions naturally with ",or...?". Ever since learning the language, I've been finding myself ending my sentences like that more and more!

Maybe it's still a bothersome read for some, but I think its a neat language crossover.

too little too late

This is normal in East Asia (before the pandemic)

If this is "the new normal" then its ok with me

@NSS think of it less as a binary thing and as a risk reduction thing. Maybe only a few percentage points in risk reduction, but that has an impact beyond no additional measures taken.

My son works at DFW and life is good for the TSA staff. They get full pay and are currently working one week on and one week off. The week off is on call; however they never call any of them in. They even get there night time differential pay on the week off.

All the airport staff are also getting to park in the terminal garages.

They get full pay and are currently working one week on and one week off. The week off is on call; however they never call any of them in.

It isn't only the TSA that is doing this. I know certain parts of the DOD are doing the same thing. Don't know how widespread it is but it does go beyond TSA.

This is why we will have hundreds of thousands of dead In this country, as our policy is a complete opium for the masses. A major government agency implementing such a crucial policy weeks after the fact, when much of the rest of the world has taken concrete steps to reduce infection. I do business with folks from several foreign countries and they are calling concerned about my wellbeing. What an embarrassment - the greatest country in the world is now the world’s recipient of pity. Full of ignorant, head-in-the-sand, “I deserve absolute freedom even in a temporary crisis” nonsense over common sense and science. People should be in streets demanding logical strategies to minimise deaths and here we are in May after 1.3 million infections getting around to telling the TSA wear masks.

@Amn: it is more than pity. It is a cross of amazement and anger the rest of the world has for the US. I am an expat living in a Spain and they are amazed at how ignorant many are (yes administration is at top of that list) but also angry that so little so late is being done to protect the world from more exposure after they have locked down so strongly. I am getting jokes thrown at me regularly by friends here. Embarrassed is an understatement. The Trump criticism/jokes were there before but now they sting.

I am actually surprised that they are requiring them to wear masks at all. So many sick, a few dead or not, they DO NOT care about their workers. As for the author saying to test passengers temputures at the checkpoint just like the CEO of Southwest Airlines also wanting it, if the author and Southwests CEO wants it, I suggest talk to the director or TSA and the airlines because the workers will need TRAINED MEDICAL staff on site with test kits/thermometers to do this, also they will have to hire bodyguards for the TSA when people complain they are testing to begin with, and dont get me started if someone is denied from the screening checkpoint because of a "high" temputure. Also, TSA are supposedly essential because they are supposedly "Emergency Response Personal" but have NO medical training from TSA. Give it a rest people. Don't fly if you do not have to.

Its great to protect the TSA agents.

And how about the passengers?

I see South Korea disinfecting everything, and EVERYTHING, but in the USA and Europe I see this dull grey trays uncleaned and passenger after passenger putting their personal effects in, including SHOES in them. No cleaning, no disinfecting !

The UK has a MASSIVE shutdown, but Heathrow had nothing, no checks, just line up as usual, 300 people at immigration, no spacing. Ridiculous you say. Yes I guess so.

THINK...about it.

I'm puzzled that some still believes a mask will protect you. Only a N95 mask will do that, and I can't read anything here suggesting that this is what's required.

Its good news a TSA agent will not infect a customer, but unless 100% of workers and travellers in an airport wear a mask, at all times this will not stop the spread of the virus. It will be almost impossible for someone who's not used to wearing a mask doing that for hours. Of course you cant eat or drink with a mask.

Everyone should be tested daily who work at an airport. We should quickly develop a anti-body test that we can use as an "ID" while travelling - showing everybody that you're safe

@Ray while the US response was a complete embarrassment I'm not sure if Europeans have the right to say anything. Most of our infections come not from China but from Europe. Its more of a those in glass houses thing.