pinniped

Except there hasn't actually been any real circumstantial evidence that masks spread bacteria or any other illness. Nowhere near to the extent that they've been shown to help. This was an early-pandemic hypothesis that hasn't really borne out. Nor has any harm to children borne out. Or the "lowering oxygen levels" that anti-maskers like to claim.

I'm 100% with you on disposable masks being thrown everywhere....they're the cigarette butt of the 2020's. But that's a broader pollution problem.

screeton

So... now the SWA CEO (in congressional testimony December 15th) questions the efficacy of mask wearing on planes. What impeccable timing.... at a time when the news everywhere is about increasing Covid numbers, a frightening number of break through infections, and a new virus variant on top of the present Delta surge. One way to help Southwest with alleged staffing shortages is to discourage a significant percentage of passengers from flying in the first place. If reducing passenger demand is the SWA goal, getting rid of or relaxing on-board mask mandates would be a good way to start. A variety of adjectives come to mind with this news of the Southwest testimony, none of them complimentary. Gary Kelly, your tenure at SWA until Covid was admirable, but your tepid comments about all efforts to mitigate the pandemic (mask requirements, employee vaccine mandates, etc.) has tarnished your reputation. You might wish to consider staying more within the realm of purely transportation issues and less in the field of public health or infection control.

Lets go over this one more time, for the children in the audience who have either not been listening or have been listening to fantasyland sources. Masks help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases... colds, flu, covid, etc. Masks WORN PROPERLY work even better. You are not going to be oxygen deprived from wearing a mask, although some of the 'scientists' from fantasyland media might tell you otherwise. If you do not have the mental temperament or common sense to wear a mask for your own benefit, or the decency to wear one to help protect your fellow travelers, then you really do not belong on public transportation anyway, whether its SWA, Amtrak, or local city transit. And SWA... if it is now the corporate position that mask wearing in airports or on your planes is not particularly helpful in mitigating this pandemic, then perhaps it really is time for me to rethink my 20+ year almost universal loyalty to SWA. Despite all the good things that SWA offers to travelers, at this point in time when the choice of whether or not to fly is somewhat tenuous anyway, the short-sighted policy exposed by the SWA congressional testimony could well be a deal breaker for a lot of formerly loyal SWA travelers.

kennycrudup

... yeah, yeah ... you've been making this idle threat for months now- excrement or get off the pot already!

kennycrudup

Every one of my many flights lately has been nuts-to-butts; I'm sure you'll not be missed

m907

There is already evidence that children born in 2020 have diminished cognition and verbal skills. We won't know the true cost for years or decades.

Stop with the pearl clutching. The only randomized controlled trials on masks show they provide zero benefit. The sole purpose of them is to control people and make a political statement to strike fear in to people and make them feel like there is an emergency.

screeton

Wow.... and you really believe all this? Its impossible to argue with your "logic," but your comments do help explain why we are still in the midst of a pandemic rather than looking at it in the past.

pinniped

I have no doubt that the pandemic impacted the learning and development of tens of millions of children, especially in areas where almost an entire year of school was lost. My daughters lost most of their 7th and 10th grade years and no effort has ever been made on the part of schools to make up that lost time. If America took education seriously, we would fund a plan for year-round schooling for a few years to get kids caught up. But it isn't going to happen....it's just lost.

But kids born in 2020?!?!? While it's possible they may experience long-term effects of being born into the most stressful period in my lifetime, it won't be because of masks. If we had a baby last year, the baby wouldn't have been wearing masks or been around other people wearing masks except on rare occasions. Older kids in a preschool or kindergarten environment where you're learning language and seeing faces is important, there's probably something there...but that doesn't have anything to do with whether we should be wearing them in airports or on airplanes.

Justjax90

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. The government wants to continue doing the same things that are not working. Cases are allegedly increasing. But the vax, masks and lockdowns work, right?? SWA will continue to follow the fake federal mask mandate but what Gary said is correct. Masks do nothing. The emerging variants are weaker versions and natural immunity is increasing. This combination is great news. But the planned fear mongering, use of scare tactics and shaming of the unvaxxed will continue as planned.

steved5480

@cnnbrk: Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly tests positive for Covid-19 after appearing at a US Senate hearing on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed to Reuters
https://cnn.it/3E7nD0L

lsquare

Did you even read the article?

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Kmxu

No wonder why the mask mandate was not strictly enforced on my WN flights in October.

Collierkr

Who gives a flip? And no proof here that he wouldn’t have gotten COVID with a mask. We need to get over being afraid of CoViD if we are vaccinated. Of course if you have other medical conditions such as diabetes then that’s a different story. Stay home and mask up. The rest of us need to keep the world rotating.

lsquare

Yet, no one else at the hearing tested positive for COVID.

No need to explain anymore. You are in Texas, right? Judging from your post, it makes perfect sense.

Justjax90

You’re taking this very personally. And being very insulting. Chill.
Oh, and you have no idea what the other attendees’ health status is. Nor should you. Live your life.

Repooc17

Why does it matter where someone is located? I am based out of NYC, and I know plenty of people having had Covid despite masking everywhere (outside and inside). Mask compliance is extremely high in certain areas, no matter...virus is going do what a virus does. Be healthy and fit are the most practical solutions for your body to (naturally) fight against any virus/disease.

I agree with the other poster. We are two years in already, Covid has not been a concern for me since Q4 of last year. 122 flights this year (not even a full year), 200K+ miles flown even after taking the summer off and last flight was mid-November.