The Intercept | January 4, 2022
Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, pointed out that the current process is also dangerous for TSA officers, many of whom are wearing loose-fitting surgical masks, which might not protect them sufficiently against the omicron variant. “TSA personnel are at significant risk, and that risk is only magnified by passengers taking down their masks for identification,” Gostin wrote in an email. “I would recommend against this high risk practice. If it were possible to dispense entirely with mask lowering, that would be ideal. If it could be done in a well ventilated or even outdoor space, it would even be safer.”