Flight Attendants Denounce Travel Ban and Call on Congress to Protect U.S. Aviation
WASHINGTON (March 11, 2020) — The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson released the following statement on President Trump's announcement on travel from Europe:
"The announcement by the President this evening of a thirty-day travel ban to Europe is irresponsible.
"Without any consultation with the industry, we don't even know what this means. President Trump said one thing during his TV address and the administration appears to be walking back several key statements. This only creates more confusion and proves this is about politics, not public safety.
"There is no explanation for how this will help fight the spread of the virus. It makes little sense when the virus is already in the United States. The President expressly stated the United Kingdom is not included in the travel ban and yet the U.K. Health Minister herself has the coronavirus.
"In order to fight this communicable disease, COVID-19, just like any we have faced before, we need to act together. We need government coordinating public and private actions, with healthcare authorities leading, and all stakeholders at the table to raise specific concerns and offering solutions.
"It appears tonight's announcement is an attempt to distract from the administration’s failure to adequately test for the virus, failure to contain the spread, suppression of advice from leading scientists, and failure to consult with stakeholders. We do not accept the false narrative of a "foreign virus" intended to stoke distrust among Americans, rather than focus on saving lives.
"The United States of America has a long history of marshaling the resources, patriotism, ingenuity, and freedom of our nation to take on any challenge and lead the world. Aviation is a large part of this proud history. We call on Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader McConnell to take all measures available to protect the U.S. aviation industry and save aviation jobs."
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The Association of Flight Attendants is the Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 74 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
