It's very easy for anyone to get around the "paywall" for a Forbes article. The article provides information showing the direct correlation between the rise in Covid cases among staff being aligned with elimination of the TSA mask mandate.
I will note I have previously posted this article... here is a repost. TSA Covid Infections Have Jumped 50% Since The Mask Mandate Was Lifted https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzann...-percent-mask-mandate-lifted/?sh=36910ece67ec May 4, 2022 In the two weeks since the mask mandate was lifted, Covid-19 infections have jumped 50% among Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees. On Monday, 542 agency workers had active infections of the coronavirus, according to a TSA spokesperson. That number is up from 359 reported on April 18, the day a federal judge struck down the federal mask mandate. The Department of Justice has said it will appeal the ruling. The increased number of positive cases among TSA employees reflects what some health experts are predicting will be a surge in Covid infections across the country. Reports of new cases were nearly flat in the United States a month ago, but as April ended, case numbers were increasing in nearly every state, signaling a wave that has become national in scope. In two weeks since a federal judge struck down the federal mask mandate, the TSA has not been enforcing mask-wearing in airports and its employees have not been required to wear masks on duty. There is a big exception, however. The TSA says it will continue to enforce mask-wearing in airports located in counties where the Covid-19 community level is deemed high. This categorization is based not on Covid cases but rather hospitalization rates. Currently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifies 56 counties in the US in the high community level category. Airports in counties where the community level is currently high include Albany International, Buffalo Niagara International and Syracuse Hancock International in New York; Burlington International in Vermont; as well as several smaller regional airports in the Northeast. Covid testing has significantly dropped off in the United States, so getting a handle on a true number of daily infections has become more difficult for officials. According to the University of Washington, the true number of daily infections is likely to be five times higher that what is being reported. That enormous gap amounts to roughly 153,000 active Covid infections going unreported today alone. Unlike in the general population, the TSA has a mandatory testing program for unvaccinated TSA employees—a small minority of the workforce as of last November—but only for airports located where Covid-19 community levels are medium or high. There are currently 314 counties in the US at either a medium or high level, according to the CDC. Additionally, TSA employees who have been exposed to Covid-19 at the worksite through contact tracing are also required to participate in mandatory Covid-19 diagnostic testing. Those employees must complete two Covid-19 tests during a three-day period. Many Americans remain uncomfortable over the repeal of the public transportation mask mandate. Four in 10 (41%) report feeling at least somewhat less comfortable flying now that the mandate has been lifted, while only (27%) report feeling at least somewhat more comfortable, according to a Harris Poll fielded the weekend after the mandate ended. The impact that repealing the mandate will have on travel remains unclear. Americans are divided as to whether the decision will have a positive (31%) or negative (32%) impact on their willingness to travel by plane, per the Harris Poll. A significant majority reported being at least somewhat likely to continue to wear a mask in the airport (67%) or on the plane (66%) the next time that they travel. Since the pandemic began, a total of 23,468 TSA employees have been infected and 22,891 employees have recovered, according to TSA records. Thirty-six TSA employees and two contractors have died from Covid-19 infections during the pandemic. “Staying up to date with Covid-19 vaccines, including recommended boosters, is the safest way to protect against severe outcomes from Covid-19,” according to the CDC website. About three out of four (74.6%) Americans age 12 and over are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data, but less than half of Americans eligible for a booster shot —about 91 million people—have received one.
You spam more than anyone on this forum. Probably twice over, if not three times. I can't be expected to know what you have and have not posted. This is the first you've posted it in this thread. In the two weeks since the mask mandate was lifted, Covid-19 infections have jumped 50% among Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees. On Monday, 542 agency workers had active infections of the coronavirus, according to a TSA spokesperson. Source: TSA "spokesperson". Assuming no narrative (massive assumption), how does this compare to non-TSA workers? If case loads in the cities/states also increase by 50%, then this indicates it has nothing to do with TSA employees and mask mandates. But that data, of course, isn't share. Once again, you show your inability to think critically. The entire rest of the article is just anecdotal editorial on vaccines and other narratives. Where is the evidence showing increased cases among flight attendants, pilots, baggage handlers, etc...? Sure it couldn't just be a TSA thing.
Are you claiming that in the time period that the TSA ended the mask mandate to the time this article was written -- the Covid rate in the U.S. broadly rose by 50%? You better call the CDC about this because it would be news to them. It should be noted that airports in counties with a high Covid rate still required masks -- "There is a big exception, however. The TSA says it will continue to enforce mask-wearing in airports located in counties where the Covid-19 community level is deemed high." Interestingly enough these locations do not appear to be the places where the TSA is having issues with staffing due to staff being out with Covid.
With all these people flying and going abroad, would it not stand to reason that if there is widespread infection, that the airlines, including airline pilots and flight attendants refuse to fly? Yet, they continue to fly and very few reports of infections being confined inside a cooped up airplane? Extreme liberals are now making things up as they go along as demand for vaccines and booster shots way down. Wasn't GWB's wife working for one of the big Pharma companies?Maybe, that is GWB's motivation spreading lies and disinformation, feeling that Big Pharma profits might be affected and that of the income of his wife?
I'm saying that you need to broaden the data you look at before you can make this kind of conclusion - which is precisely the argument you would/should be making if I was suggesting the opposite. The only reason you're accepting this TSA statement at fact value is because it aligns with your chosen Religion.
I read it in this message board. Not sure which thread on Corona Virus it was. Someone else mentioned she worked for a Pharmaceutical company which explains GWB and his rabid defense of the Corona Virus vaccines.