President Biden's COVID-19 Plan Takes Effect, Including Increased Fines For Not Wearing A Mask At Airports
WASHINGTON (KDKA) - If you plan on traveling, make sure you wear your mask. President Joe Biden is having the TSA double the fines for those who refuse to mask up in airports.
So, if you're heading to Pittsburgh International Airport - mask up.
This also includes other forms of public transportation. The new fines for those who refuse to wear a mask take effect today. It jumps from $500 to $1,000 for first-time offenders and up to $3,000 for repeat offenders.
Here's a look at the president's six-step plan to fight COVID-19:
- He wants to further protect vaccinated people by getting them booster shots.
- Work to keep schools open by wanting governors to require vaccinations for schoolteachers and staff.
- Increase testing by accelerating the production of rapid tests.
- Help the economy by expanding a federal loan program to help small business.
- Improve care for those with COVID-19. They're doing this by increasing the availability of new medicines.
And lastly, the president wants to vaccinate the unvaccinated with a mandate for public and private workers.
"The Department of Labor is developing an emergency rule to require all employers with 100 or more employees that together employ over 80 million workers to ensure their workforces are fully vaccinated or show a negative test at least once a week. Some of the biggest companies are already requiring this, United Airlines, Disney, Tyson's food, and even Fox News," said Mr. Biden.
And this plan announced on Thursday captured the attention of many.
Including Dr. Anthony Fauci.
"I think the president is being somewhat moderate in his demand if you want to call it that. Myself, I would make it just vaccinate or not, but he was trying to be moderate in what his pronouncement was," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy And Infectious Diseases.
Meanwhile, children under the age of 2 and those with certain disabilities are exempt from the latest order about the new fines.
