WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The lead U.S. airport security agency is weighing the possibility of requiring masks or face coverings for passengers who pass through checkpoints, according to a U.S. official and two people familiar with the deliberations.
FILE PHOTO: A TSA officer wears a mask and gloves, amid the worldwide coronavirus outbreak, at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., March 11, 2020. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
The move is part of a broader rethinking of how to limit the spread of the new coronavirus during air travel, an effort that could bring some of the most significant changes to the industry since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Travelers passing through U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints will see other changes, including additional barriers to protect security officers, more extensive cleaning regimes and upgraded screening equipment to speed travelers through lines faster, according to current and former U.S. officials and industry experts familiar with the plans.
TSA officers are allowed to wear masks at checkpoints but not required to do so. The agency is considering such a requirement, sources said.
News of potential changes ca