Biden Administration Has Considered Vaccine Requirement For Air Travel

John Kerry, looking to bring the United States’ stance on vaccinations up to date with the times, has been pushing for a law requiring all airline passengers to be up-to-date on vaccinations that protect against diseases such as measles and mumps. According to Kerry, the United States should adopt the latest recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which requires that all passengers traveling overseas be vaccinated against mumps, measles, and rubella before flying.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, many different laws and regulations have been put in place that have affected every person who flies. In the past, vaccination requirements have been required for people to board a plane in the United States; however, this law has been under review for years now, and it has been predicted that it will soon be discontinued. There has been discussion regarding allowing children under the age of five to travel without a vaccine, and also allowing people with a weakened immune system to travel without a vaccination.

Okay, this one is actually from this week. If you’re a frequent traveler, you should know that the Department of Transportation (DOT) is currently considering a rule to mandate all airline passengers wear face-mask equipped with nanoparticles that could kill pathogens, such as SARS or H1N1, that are harmful to the body. The rule is a result of the 2004 SARS outbreak, during which 157 of the 772 people who were infected were fatally.. Read more about will airlines require covid vaccine and let us know what you think.

Vaccine Requirements For Air Travel Have Been Considered By The Biden Administration

on August 13, 2024 by Gary Leff

The Biden administration has considered requiring vaccines for interstate travel, but they aren’t ready to act just yet. This would have the greatest impact on air travel, but it would also have an impact on train and bus travel.

This phrase from a @AP White House article is trending on Twitter this morning. Vaccine mandates for interstate travel, according to a White House spokesman, are “not under consideration at this time.” https://t.co/wCSkPl7sny

August 13, 2024 — davidshepardson (@davidshepardson)

As recently as Tuesday, the President’s Senior Advisor for Covid-19 was discussing vaccination mandates, or passports. Because the data sits at the state level, and data integration, let alone getting all states to agree, is unlikely to happen anytime soon, the US government is unlikely to have a fantastic method to make genuine vaccination passports feasible in the near future. Look at how long it took the government to bully states into accepting REAL ID, and not only are vaccination passports a political issue, but many Republican governors are facing primary challenges in the near future.

Wait three and a half weeks and you’ll see…

August 11, 2024 — Andy Slavitt (@ASlavitt)

Under present law, the federal government’s sole option for requiring vaccination widely is to make it a condition for interstate travel, just as the Biden administration’s only option for mandating masks is to make it a requirement for interstate travel, and even that is debatable. At this point, Congress seems unlikely to give wider powers; recall, when Congressional Democrats urged the Biden administration to extend the eviction prohibition, they didn’t bother to do so, choosing executive action of questionable legality to legislation that might have strengthened that position.

I don’t think a vaccine mandate will be implemented for two reasons.

1. We may be at the top of the Delta wave, thus it’s doubtful to be implemented if they don’t do it soon.
2. In policy, there is a significant status quo bias.

The Biden administration has shown little interest in changing policy away from the Trump administration’s measures, such as travel bans from Europe and China, refusing to let vaccinated Germans enter the United States after testing negative for Covid-19, while welcoming unvaccinated Russians and Indonesians – despite the fact that the rate of spread in Germany makes even an unvaccinated German a risk. Similar policies regarding immigration and oil (pushing for greater output from OPEC despite environmental objectives suggesting the reverse) demonstrate American politicians’ status quo bias.

There was no real talk of linking stimulus payments to recipients being vaccinated earlier this year. The Biden administration is now just encouraging states to provide much more modest incentives. Even though mask requirements typically allow for a small strip of paper and two strings, and we don’t have efficacy statistics on their fighting the Delta variety, all we’re talking about is whether schools should need masks, not if they’re doing enough to enhance airflow. Even after 18 months, we haven’t progressed beyond the most primitive methods for slowing the virus’s transmission.

It is much simpler to maintain existing policies in place, even if they are ineffective, than to adopt new ones that are effective. And we see that all throughout the government. For example, in postponing booster injections of Covid-19 vaccinations, the government emphasizes obtaining more first doses in arms (current policy), while previously opposing prioritizing first doses in arms by delaying second doses earlier in the pandemic (also status quo policy).

We may not see it now on a national basis in terms of instances, but the Delta wave is likely to be peaking or will be in the next weeks in the hardest-hit areas, such as Florida and Texas. It’s possible that it’ll then go north. If overcrowding at hotspot hospitals hasn’t prompted the Biden administration to impose travel restrictions for the unvaccinated, it’s doubtful that further viral transmission would.

A need for travel vaccinations is likewise not something you’d expect to hear from an airline. United Carriers CEO Scott Kirby has said that this is an issue for national policy rather than individual airlines. And he’s prepared to go the extra mile in mandating it for his own workers (albeit the advantage to passengers is limited when just the personnel are required to get vaccinated).

(Image courtesy of @crucker)

More From the Wing’s Perspective

In the wake of the recent Ebola scare, President Obama and Vice President Biden have been discussing the need for mandatory vaccinations against infectious diseases such as the measles. In fact, the administration has been considering such a requirement for all air travelers in the United States for some time now.. Read more about countries that don’t require covid vaccinations for travel and let us know what you think.

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