FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Association of Flight Attendants-CWA calling for leisure air travel restrictions?
Old Apr 28, 2020, 2:30 am
  #14  
RustyC
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Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
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You don't have a right to infect someone else. That's the part that those who think this is an issue of freedom or rights infringement just can't or won't get. The virus also doesn't care one bit about your views in that area...all it cares about is finding hosts and continuing to live.

That said, there hasn't been much of a problem to this point because much of the "there" has been removed - even many of the parks are closed. So even if you stay at Motel 6 and eat in your car in the McDonald's parking lot, all or nearly all of the attractions are closed.

That's slowly changing with some states irresponsibly trying to re-open too soon, even though they don't come close to meeting the guidelines. We won't get Disney world or the casinos in Las Vegas (except maybe socially distanced slots) anytime soon, and big events like concerts might need to wait for a vaccine.

FAs have the same concern as grocery workers, postal workers, etc, except that they're in an even more enclosed space as far as spreading droplets go. Requiring masks could be reasonable, except that given how you can't buy them, airlines should be obligated to provide single-use ones, at least as long as the risk is high. Undoubtedly they'll also want to do fever zappers, like in Asia, though those have both false positives and false negatives and won't screen out all the carriers.

It's easy to see the FAs being open to criticism because they're also getting special job-security treatment that many workers aren't getting.

Finally, we call on lawmakers and regulators to take further action to limit the spread of the virus by restricting sidewalk traffic to only that necessary to continue essential services. Public pathways are continuing to deliver people, mail, and cargo, uniting families that are grieving or rushing to be with those who have fallen ill, and transporting others who require medical treatment unrelated to the pandemic. These are some of the many essential services provided by public walkways to all of our communities – large and small - that must be maintained as the pandemic continues. We believe that protecting this essential service and ensuring those utilizing sidewalks and common areas is not aiding in spread of the virus requires a halt to all leisure traffic until the pandemic is brought under control according to health authorities.. We believe we can all do more together and will work to coordinate a schedule to continue essential traffic only. In addition, we request messaging from all leadership to encourage the public to end leisure use of public walkways until we have “flattened the curve.”
Sidewalks aren't enclosed metal tubes with recirculated air. The closest thing I can think of to that on the ground might be a Waffle House, and those are take-out only around here.

I'm a bit on the fence with this one. It's bound to create more tension as tourism-dependent areas try to reopen as much as they safely can, and you've also got the traditional summer high season. OTOH, the states that go too fast could easily see another spike about 3 weeks afterward and have to go back to lockdowns. By June or July you could have well-controlled situations in, say, California but poorly controlled ones in Georgia.
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