Five major U.S. airlines to require all passengers to wear masks

Senate Democrats are 'demanding' the Trump administration issue a national mandate

Five of America's largest airlines announced this week that they will require all passengers to wear masks during travel, as pressure mounts from unions and Senate Democrats for the federal government to issue a mandate requiring that facial coverings be worn by everyone on any U.S. flight.

What are the details?

As many states start to reopen for business and travel following weeks of coronavirus lockdowns, carriers are implementing social distancing and safety measures as Americans begin returning to the skies.

ABC News reported that on Monday, JetBlue became the first major airline in the U.S. to announce all its passengers "must wear a covering over their nose and mouth throughout their journey…including during check-in, boarding, while in flight and deplaning."

On Thursday, Delta, American, United, and Frontier airlines all joined JetBlue in implementing separate policies requiring passengers to wear masks. According to Politico, "so far, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is the lone holdout among the nation's biggest airlines."

In a separate report, ABC News noted that Democratic Sens. Ed Markey (Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) on Wednesday "sent a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar urging them to 'immediately issue a rule requiring face masks for all individuals engaged in air travel."

Sen. Markey tweeted Thursday, "Every person who flies during #COVID19 should be required to wear a face mask during the flight. We cannot rely on individual airlines' policies. @SenBlumenthal and I are demanding the Trump admin issue a nationwide rule to protect the crew, passengers, and the public."

https://www.theblaze.com/news/four-major-u-s-airlines-to-require-all-passengers-to-wear-masks

Coronavirus started in China, PM tells mining billionaire

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has told billionaire Andrew Forrest to stay away from foreign affairs and stop spreading misinformation about the origins of the coronavirus.

Mr Forrest has secured 10 million testing kits from China in a $320 million deal, bolstering Australia's supplies, but he has angered federal MPs with his comments about the coronavirus and the diplomatic tension between the two countries.

Asked by Alan Jones on 2GB whether Mr Forrest was lying when he said yesterday the virus could have started in another country, the Prime Minister said "that’s obviously not true".

"I don’t think anybody’s in any fantasy land about where [the virus] started," Mr Morrison said on Friday. "It started in China."

"What the world over needs to know is how did it start and what are the lessons that can be learned? That needs to be done independently."

Mr Morrison thanked Mr Forrest for securing the testing kits, which the federal government will reimburse him for.

"We've worked with Andrew to that end, and we thank him for that. But when it comes to foreign affairs advice, I'll take my foreign affairs advice from foreign affairs officials," he said.

Australia has been urging countries such as France and the United States to join them in calling for an independent inquiry into the origins of coronavirus, which led to the Chinese ambassador threatening a consumer boycott of students and tourists visiting Australia, as well as sales of popular agricultural exports like wine and beef.

Mr Forrest blindsided federal Health Minister Greg Hunt at a press conference on Wednesday by inviting China's consul-general to Victoria Zhou Long to speak at the event.

"The consul was not invited by the Commonwealth to that press conference. Let's be clear about that," Mr Morrison said.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/coronavirus-started-in-china-pm-tells-mining-billionaire-20200501-p54oyn.html