New York Lawmakers Push Biden Administration For Air Travel Vaccine Mandate
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Local lawmakers are pushing President Biden to expand his administration's vaccine mandate to air travel.
CBS2's Thalia Perez has more on efforts to get the proposal off the ground.
"From July 24 to Sept. 9, the vaccination rate in the United States only grew by 4%," said U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres.
Torres and New York City Councilmember Mark Levine are pushing to mandate COVID vaccines for air travelers.
"It is a very small inconvenience to ask people to flash an app or a vaccine card as they get on a flight," Levine said. "It is such a sensible policy."
Both lawmakers are pleading with the president to act fast as concerns grow over the spread of the Delta variant.
Officials say an air travel vaccine mandate is the missing link and would benefit New York City especially since it's so densely populated.
"It should be mandatory, and then people would be quickly back to normal," Marzana Garda said.
Some disagree and say a mandate isn't a solution. They're concerned that having to show proof before boarding will result in longer security lines at airports.
Others said it's just better to stay at home during the pandemic.
"It's just more of a hassle, and people are just all kind of crazy right now and it just seems not worth the effort. So, I just try not to travel," said Megan Doss from Queens.
Canada is one of the countries that announced new policies requiring travelers to be fully vaccinated.
"They shouldn't be allowed on flights if they're not vaccinated because they're putting other people at risk," said Karen Venner, who is vaccinated and was taking a COVID test before her flight to Italy.
It's unclear if Pres. Biden supports an air travel vaccine mandate, but Dr. Anthony Fauci said it's a good idea.
CBS2's Thalia Perez contributed to this report.
