Democrats showed once again they’re just following the science. But as U.S. Sen. Rick Scott noted, it’s political science, not medical science.
The Florida Republican and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, earlier this week spoke about the Stop Mandating Additional Requirements for Travel, or SMART, Act, a bill they recently introduced that would end mask mandates on public transportation, particularly airline travel.
“Travel is critical to getting our economy fully reopened,” Scott said in a floor speech on Wednesday. “Now the science is clear: Broad mask mandates are not necessary.”
Scott then cited several examples of people kicked off airplanes because small children, some as young as 2, could not keep masks on.
The senator also noted that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said people no longer need masks in restaurants, hotels, schools, or stadiums.
“The science doesn’t support keeping the mask mandate in place,” Scott said. “The CDC itself has been clear mask mandates aren’t needed. So, why is the CDC singling out airlines and public transportation? It doesn’t make sense.”
Scott noted that the bill would not prevent Americans from wearing masks if they choose to do so, nor would it stop the airlines from imposing mask mandates.
It would just block the government from ordering it.
“Just like the federal government should not be in the business of requiring Americans to turn over their vaccination records, the federal government should not be mandating citizens wear masks on public transportation,” Scott said. “Americans should be free to make choices they feel are in the best interest of their own health and the health of their loved ones. We have to listen to the science and work together to move America forward.”
Lee added, “The CDC’s requirement that vaccinated individuals wear masks on public transportation is no longer defensible, as it blatantly contradicts the agency’s own policies and research.”
“With the vaccine now free and widely available, Americans should be able to choose for themselves whether to receive it, whether to wear a mask, or whether to take their own precautions – free of mandates imposed by the government.”
On its website, the CDC notes the risk comes from encountering other passengers in terminals, not in actually flying.
“Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes,” the CDC says.
Last October, Drs. Rui Pombal, Daniel Shoor, and Hernando Ortega, all of whom work in the aerospace industry, wrote a p[iece n the Journal of the American Medical Association explaining why contracting COVID while flying was low risk.
“The risk of contracting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during air travel is lower than from an office building, classroom, supermarket, or commuter train,” they wrote.
Regarding the air circulating on planes, they added, “Half of it is fresh air from outside, the other half is recycled through HEPA filters of the same type used in operating rooms.”
“Any remaining risk to be managed is from contact with other passengers who might be infectious,” they noted. “Seat backs provide a partial physical barrier, and most people remain relatively still, with little face-to-face contact.”
“Despite substantial numbers of travelers, the number of suspected and confirmed cases of in-flight COVID-19 transmission between passengers around the world appears small (approximately 42 in total).
Despite all that “science,” as Scott’s office noted, Democrats blocked the SMART Act.
Said Scott, “While we choose to listen to the science, all the Democrats care about is following their political science.”
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