The U.S. Senate this week passed by unanimous consent the Ensuring Health Safety in the Skies Act, which instructs the Departments of Transportation, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security to establish a joint task force on air travel during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
This task force – advised by aviation, security and public health experts – will develop recommended requirements, plans and guidelines to address the health, safety, security and logistical challenges for air travel moving forward.
Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) proposed the initial bill in May then worked with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) to revise the proposal to ensure bipartisan support.
“The coronavirus has had an enormous impact on every person and industry in the United States, but air travel has been uniquely affected by the current pandemic,” said Markey in a statement after the bill’s passage. “We must think big and provide consistent answers to all of the questions regarding masks on flights, social distancing in security screening, sanitation of aircraft, and more. I applaud my colleagues in the Senate for passing our legislation, and I urge the House to take up this bill immediately.”
The bill also earned the praise of a number of aviation industry stakeholders, including Kevin Burke, president and CEO of Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) who said, “As we look to the future of air travel and prepare for the return of more travelers, a task force of federal agencies and aviation industry partners will be very helpful in developing meaningful guidelines and recommendations to address the challenging operational and infrastructure issues related to COVID-19 recovery and pandemic planning.”
The bill now moves on to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.
