Airline Bars Alaska State Senator Over Mask Policy Violation
Alaska Airlines said it had suspended State Senator Lora Reinbold from flying because she refused to comply with its mask rules.
Lora Reinbold, an Alaska state senator barred by Alaska Airlines, said there was “no due process” before the decision.Credit.Becky Bohrer/Associated Press
April 26, 2021Updated 6:08 p.m. ET
Alaska Airlines has suspended an Alaska state lawmaker from its flights for violating its mask policies, the company said.
The lawmaker, Lora Reinbold, a Republican state senator, was captured on video arguing with employees at Juneau International Airport about the airline’s mask rules, according to footage posted on Twitter.
Do We Still Need to Keep Wearing Masks Outdoors?
Science shows that the risk of viral transmission outside is very low. The “two-out-of-three rule” can help you decide whether to mask up.
Credit.Jessica Pons for The New York Times
April 22, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET
As more people get vaccinated and spring weather and sunshine beckon us outdoors, one question may be nagging at you: Do we still need to wear masks outside?
More than a year into pandemic life, many people remain confused about the risk of spending time outdoors around other people. A growing body of research shows that transmission of Covid-19 is far less likely outdoors than inside, and the risk will get even lower as more people get vaccinated and cases continue to decline. But many states have yet to lift strict outdoor mask mandates. In Massachusetts, for instance, outdoor masking is required at all times, even when nobody else is around.
U.S. Seizes One Million More Counterfeit N95 Masks
Criminal charges are expected in the investigation, which brought the total number of seized masks to more than 11 million, the authorities said.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said at a news conference on Wednesday that the seizure of counterfeit N95 masks “ensures the health and safety of our frontline health care workers.” Credit.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Feb. 17, 2021
One million counterfeit N95 masks were seized by federal agents on Wednesday as part of a sweeping fraud investigation stemming from the global coronavirus pandemic, the head of the Department of Homeland Security announced.
Millions of Counterfeit N95 Masks Were Bought in 5 States, U.S. Says
Many of the masks were clever fakes, stamped with the 3M logo and shipped in boxes that read, “Made in the U.S.A.,” even though they were not made in the country or by 3M, according to federal investigators.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and El Paso members of Homeland Security Investigations in December during a seizure of counterfeit N95 surgical masks at a port cargo warehouse in El Paso, Texas.Credit.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, via Associated Press
Feb. 10, 2021
Millions of counterfeit masks were bought by hospitals, medical institutions and government agencies in at least five states and some of them were used by health care workers in Washington State, the federal authorities said on Wednesday in announcing an investigation.
Health workers are still being forced to ration protective masks, but small U.S. manufacturers can’t find buyers, and some are in a danger of going under.