The federal mask rules apply when people are on public transportation including trains and planes. This is an existing rule even if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines said that fully vaccinated individuals don’t need to wear masks in public. Anyone who violates the federal mask mandate can be punished by civil fines starting at $250.
The anonymous tipper sent AP reports a photo and a three-minute video of San Antonio US Rep. Chip Roy not wearing a mask while talking to other passengers. He was flying from Washington to Texas to join Governor Greg Abbot and President Donald Trump.
Politicizing the Pandemic
AP asked Roy’s office to comment on the incident, but Roy’s office didn’t respond. It was also unknwon whether or not the congressman is vaccinated. This isn’t the first time US Rep. Chip Roy undermined the effect of the pandemic. Last year, he even claimed that the pandemic was a hoax and it was perpetuated by Democrats. He also had some over-the-top comments regarding COVID safety protocols such as likening stay-at-home orders to the policies of Nazi Germany.
And during last year’s thanksgiving, Roy tweeted that “I will do whatever I want to do on Thanksgiving. Period”. This was when CDC advised people to not socially gather. He even doubled down a couple of days later on his tweet saying that “I will do whatever I want to do on Thanksgiving..or any other day… Period”.
And last May, Roy along and US Rep. Louie Gohmert were warned not wearing masks on the house floor.
Zero-Tolerance Policy and the Rise of Unruly Passengers
Since the pandemic started, the airline industry noticed a spike in the number of unruly passengers. Many of these cases are passengers who refused to wear their masks and even resulted in the assault of flight attendants. Some were banned while others were slapped with fines reaching $30,000.
