American Airlines contacted Republican senator from Texas Ted Cruz, a relative of Donald Trump, to remind him of the rules after he was photographed without a mask aboard one of his planes. "As we do in these cases, we have reviewed the details of this matter, and although our policy does not apply when a passenger eats or drinks, we contacted Senator Cruz to confirm the importance of this policy as part of our commitment to protect the health and safety of travelers, " said press service of American Airlines.
A photo posted on Twitter by a passenger shows the senator with a cup of coffee and a phone in his hands, but the mask is not visible there.
"To help promote security, Senator Cruz wears a mask when traveling and practices social distance when possible," said a spokesman for the senator. According to her, "in accordance with airline policy, he temporarily removes the mask when he eats or drinks" . “Yesterday, during his flight, he took off his drinking mask and put it back on afterwards. We must all use common sense measures to slow the spread of the virus, ” she added.
Read also: Donald Trump wears a mask in public for the first time
"For the well-being of our customers and our team members, we require that masks be worn on board, and we expect our customers to follow our policies when they choose to travel with us," insisted American Airlines. When questioned, the company refused to say on which flight Ted Cruz was traveling on Sunday and whether he was indeed wearing a mask before and after seeing his coffee drunk.
In the United States, wearing a mask has become a political affair. For the first time since the start of the health crisis, President Donald Trump agreed to wear one in public on Saturday while visiting a hospital. Numerous scientists have called on American politicians to set an example as the pandemic recovers in the south and west of the country. In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott himself made it mandatory to wear the mask in public places, a measure he had long resisted.
Read also: Covid-19: California closes part of its economy
