On Friday, the maximum fine for failing to comply with the carrying mask requirement is doubled. Civil sanctions will now range from $ 500 to $ 3,000, the Department of Homeland Security said. The previous range was $ 250 to $ 1,500.
The highest fines of $ 1,000 to $ 3,000 correspond to repeat offenders, the department said.
Comments on flight attendants came as Biden delivered a speech about his new strict vaccination rules against federal workers, large employers and health care workers as part of a new push to contain the latest wave of Covid-19 .
The new requirements could apply to up to 100 million Americans, according to the White House, and would be Biden’s strongest push to date to require vaccines for much of the country.
More than 4,000 alleged violations of face masks have been reported to the Transportation Security Administration this year, spokeswoman Jessica Mayle told CNN. Most of these incidents have resulted in at least one warning letter being sent and so far TSA has referred 126 to the civil fine process, he said.
The requirement is already in effect until mid-January and applies to airplanes, trains and buses, as well as to centers such as airports and train terminals. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in Thursday’s announcement that officials “will continue to apply the mask’s mandate for as long as is necessary to protect public safety and health.”
The TSA’s civil sanctions are independent of the fines the Federal Aviation Administration assesses on passengers operating on airplanes. Approximately three-quarters of the 4,184 undue incidents of passengers reported separately to the FAA involve alleged violations of the mask’s warrant.
TSA administrator David Pekoske admitted on Wednesday to CNN in an interview that in-flight discomfort is sometimes caused by the face mask’s mandate and that he is especially concerned about those who come to physical assaults.
“It’s a big concern of mine and I know it’s a big concern for all the travelers out there,” he said.