Airline workers and others have described the dangerous results of passengers refusing to wear masks.
By Michael Laris and William WanThe Washington Post
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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris don masks during an August event in Wilmington, Del. Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post
WASHINGTON President Biden signed an order Thursday mandating masks in airports and on many planes, trains, ships and intercity buses. His action comes on the heels of a Wednesday order – his first as president – requiring masks on federal property.
Together, the two orders come as close to a national mask mandate as his federal powers may allow, leaving it to states and municipalities to require residents to wear masks at a local level.
You are well aware of the desperate circumstances New York suffered at the outset of the COVID crisis and continues to endure today. We understand Congress is considering a short-term federal funding measure of approximately $908 billion in COVID-19 relief. As an interim measure, this proposal should address states immediate and pressing needs, and it is essential and fair that New York receive at least a minimum amount of funding necessary to stop further massive damage.
It is important to remind your federal colleagues that New York paid a unique price for COVID. New York s damages were a direct result of federal negligence. Unlike almost any other state, the COVID crisis in New York was caused by the COVID virus coming from Europe. Scientists have definitively traced our COVID strain to European countries. The Trump Administration was either unaware or did not inform New York that the virus had traveled from China to Europe and was traveling to New York State.