Anthony Fauci (the chief White House Medical Advisor) re-floated Monday’s trial balloon to impose a federal vaccination requirement for domestic flights.
“That is just another one of the requirements that I think is reasonable to consider,” Fauci told MSNBC, while refusing to divulge whether he has made that recommendation to President Joe Biden. There are some requirements you need to fulfill if your goal is to enter college or go to university. Or if it’s your desire to be a teacher in certain areas. Making vaccination mandatory is another way to encourage more people to get vaccinated. This is something I strongly recommend you consider if domestic flight are your best option.
For the most prominent public health official in the country, this isn’t a new area. Fauci declared in September, “I would agree that it is mandatory for anyone who wishes to fly and be with people else that they are vaccinated.” That was also before the introduction of the infectious omicron strain and vaccines were approved for kids aged 5 to 11. Biden announced that he would mandate vaccines for private-sector employers. However, it was not yet resisted by the courts.
Asked by ABC News on December 23 about a vaccine passport for air travel, the president said, “It’s been considered but the recommendation I’ve gotten, it’s not necessary….Even with omicron. It’s what I received from the team so far.
Jen Psaki White House Press Secretary said when she was pressed about the subject on December 22 that: “We know masking can, and is very effective on planes” but that adding additional restrictions could delay flights.
Psaki, as Fauci and Biden kept the door open in the event that the medical advisory group changed their mind. Therefore, we always rely on our medical professionals and the advice of health care providers. They have not determined that this is the right step to take.
It is unlikely that the negative health effects of banning air travel for 70 million Americans aged 5 to 64 who are not fully vaccinated will be more marginal than significant. The pandemic has prevented COVID transmission from plane flights so far. Current vaccine mandates are failing to improve vaccination rates.
Actually, ReasonChristian Britschgi, the author, pointed out that disallowing safe air travel can make people less likely to drive dangerous cars. This substitution had measurably adverse effects following the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) post-9/11 security precautions.
“The added hassle the agency’s pre-flight security screenings added to air travel encouraged people to substitute driving for flying, resulting in an estimated additional 500 auto deaths per year after 9/11,” Britschgi wrote. This almost certainly outweighed the terrorist-caused death prevented by TSA’s security screenings.
It is unlikely that such cost-benefit analyses will move people who are opposed to stricter pandemic regulations. Voting rights activists, politicians and public health officers, mainly Democrats, feel a deep anger towards the small number of Americans that have not gotten the life-saving vaccines. It is not the end of the matter to punish the refuseniks.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, “For the most part, it is over if you’ve been living vaccine-free.” tweetedNew vaccine passport requirements will be announced in Chicago on December 21st. Vaxing is essential if you desire to have a happy life that allows you to do all the things you love. Although this health order can be a nuisance to some, it’s actually inconvenient.
Excellent Wall Street Journal op-ed Monday, David R. Henderson and Charles L. Hooper pointed out that, when it comes to pandemic policy, “If we accept that the difference between choice and coercion is insignificant, we will be led easily to advocate policies that require a large amount of coercion.” This is what happens with the restriction on state-to-state movement, which has been historically a guaranteed constitutional right.
We are certain that vaccinations will be the only way we can protect our country’s flying. Why aren’t we doing it now? Ali Mokdad, a University of Washington epidemiologist, said Monday that he didn’t understand the concept. Why wait when we can have safe travel, we want visitors and we need to rebuild our economy? This is the thing that really blows my mind, as a public healthcare professional.
Air travel may not be safe at the moment. This is because the hypothesis that an omicron has invaded cabins of planes in ways the original and delta strains have never experienced is true. The best way to stop aerosol spread is through ventilation on airplanes. This is of course possible—omicron is contagious to a level not previously encountered, so previous understandings may be out of date.
However, the variant appears less deadly than others. This is especially true for Americans who choose to have vaccine protection. Some people, who have been protected against most serious illnesses by vaccinations, feel unsafe not knowing their fellow passengers’ vaccination status in a safe environment. Although I understand their concern, federal pandemic policy should not be built on that basis.
The creation of a national vaccination database for domestic travel is almost certain to be required. It’s a complex task that requires significant I.T. Civil libertarian and security concerns. Psaki noted that it could cause more delays, unintended consequences, and stress to already overstressed systems. This is why airlines have opposed the idea. The potential for social conflict to increase, as has been the case with airlines trying in high-stress situations to implement federal masking policies.
However, after 21 months worth of these intrusions into private behaviour that could be dismissed in living memory as ridiculously severe and draconian I am not against the national vaccine passport. Each inbound traveler from outside the United States is required to be immunized. New York City, Chicago and San Francisco have all been required to get vaccinations. Places controlled by Democrats usually have a clear winner in the choice-versus-coercion battle.
In the United States, there were 369,000,000 domestic passenger flights annus horribilisOf 2020, I accounted for 12 of them. How many of these passengers were fully vaccinated? Zero. Yet, the flights were still safe.
CNN published a hilarious headline about vax passports. It read: “Are vaccination mandates for domestic flights the ticket to escape from the pandemic?” You people need to be honest. Just as children’s vaccines didn’t remove cloths from young people in blue states, the airplane requirements won’t get them off. It is not clear where restriction will take us beyond our personal tolerance of marginalizing others or making ourselves uncomfortable in the name unproven science. Fauci’s experiment balloon is not for you. I recommend you get a needle.