Now that major airlines and most airports are already on the mandatory mask bandwagon, giant hotel chains are starting to climb on as well. Meanwhile, some airlines are getting even tougher about their existing mask rules for passengers.
Major hotel groups had already imposed a face covering requirement for their employees, and now they are extending that to guests as well. Marriott International (the world’s largest lodging group), Hyatt and InterContinental Hotels Group all said this week that they will institute a guest mask mandate for their U.S. and Canadian properties effective July 27.
The rule requires guests to mask up when they are in any indoor public area of a hotel, including lobbies, meeting rooms, bars, restaurants and fitness rooms.
Other lodging companies are likely to follow suit. The big push for a mandatory mask rule came after the industry’s largest trade organization, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, last week issued new guidelines called the “Stay Safe Guest Checklist,” designed as an “industry-wide, enhanced set of health and safety protocols,” AH&LA said.
In addition to a face mask mandate, the group is calling on hotel guests to practice social distancing in public areas; use “contactless” processes as much as possible, including check-ins, mobile room keys, payments and online reservations; forego a daily room cleaning unless it’s necessary; ask for contactless room service delivery; and don’t travel at all if you have any COVID-19 symptoms or have recently been in contact with someone who tested positive.
In announcing the policy, Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson noted that the face mask requirement will apply in all hotels “no matter the jurisidiction” – i.e., it will apply even at hotels located in cities or states that have decided against imposing their own mask requirements. (Hotels are private property, which means if you can't abide by their rules, you will not be allowed in.)
Meanwhile, some airlines are tightening their existing mask mandates. For instance, United this week said that its passengers are now required to wear face coverings not only aboard the aircraft but also in all airport public areas, including its United Clubs.
Southwest just issued an update to its policy, advising passengers that effective July 27, it will allow no exemptions to the rule requiring an in-fight face covering, except for children under the age of two. “If a customer is unable to wear a face covering or mask for any reason, Southwest regrets that we will be unable to transport the individual. In those cases, we hope the customer will allow us to welcome them onboard in the future, if public health guidance, or other safety-related circumstances, regarding face coverings changes,” the airline said. (See what CEO Gary Kelly says about this in the tweet below...)
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And Delta this week started enforcing a new requirement for flyers who claim they have a medical condition that exempts them from the airline’s in-flight mask mandate: They’ll have to complete a “Clearance-to-Fly” process before boarding – not just once, but every time they fly. That means submitting to virtual questioning by a medical professional before they are allowed to board.
“The virtual consultation process facilitated by a Delta agent with a third-party medical professional could take up to an hour, so customers needing a rare exemption should plan to show up to the airport early. Delta is encouraging customers prevented from wearing a mask due to a health condition to reconsider travel altogether,” the airline said.
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson's mandatory mask rule could be affected by litigation filed against the city by the state of Georgia.
Atlanta Hartsfield-JacksonUnited’s new in-airport mask mandate may be mostly unnecessary, since almost all major airports already have their own mandatory mask rules for travelers. Like the airlines, U.S. airports last month – through their trade organization, Airports Council International-North America – urged the federal government to establish mandatory nationwide rules for travel in the era of coronavirus, but so far the Trump Administration has shown no inclination to do so.
A roundup of mask policies at the nation’s 25 largest airports, conducted by the publication Business Insider late last month, listed only two that didn’t have a mandatory mask rule – Baltimore/Washington and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Since that survey was conducted, however, Minneapolis-St. Paul changed its policy and will now require face coverings starting July 27. And although the roundup cited a face mask mandate for Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, that could be affected by the outcome of litigation. The City of Atlanta had imposed a mask mandate for everyplace within the city limits, including the airport, but the state government is challenging that in court after its governor declared his opposition to mask mandates anywhere in the state.
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