Politics

Pete Buttigieg Admits Plane And Train Mask Requirements Are About ‘Respect’ Rather Than Science

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Sunday that continued mask requirements for public transportation were about “respect” rather than science.

Anchor Jake Tapper noted that in spite of the CDC’s updated guidelines and the following rollback of mask mandates across the United States, masks were still required on trains and airplanes. (RELATED: Chris Wallace Fact-Checks Pete Buttigieg Over Infrastructure During Live Interview — Twice)

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“It’s Memorial Day weekend. Thirty-seven million Americans are expected to travel this weekend,” Tapper began, saying that the CDC’s latest guidelines said vaccinated individuals should not be required to wear masks whether indoors or outside.

“The Biden administration says you will always follow the science. What science is there that says that a fully vaccinated person needs to wear a mask on a plane or a train or a bus?” Tapper asked.

“So the public health guidance is a little bit different for situations like planes and trains,” Buttigieg replied. “Bottom line is, we have a set of rules in place to keep people safe, and I really hope that travelers will respect flight attendants, bus operators, workers. Anybody who is simply doing their job to keep people safe.”

Buttigieg went on to argue that people who worked in travel and transportation had been putting themselves at risk to remain on the job throughout the pandemic and that people who were traveling should show them respect.

“Let’s do it in a way we can be proud of and show respect for all of those workers who are getting us to where we need to be,” he said.