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Federal mask mandate covers freight workers, drivers at air and seaports

Anyone doing business on airport or seaport property will need to wear a face mask under new federal rules. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Freight forwarders, cargo security companies, truck drivers and warehouse operators are also covered by a new face mask mandate on commercial travel when they are on airport or seaport property, according to agencies implementing the rule.

The Transportation Security Administration on Monday issued a security directive to airport operators saying it will enforce the weekend order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that persons entering or on a transportation hub wear a mask. President Joe Biden instructed agencies to require mask wearing for domestic and international travel to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, but the rules also apply to airports, seaports and border crossings.

Solo truck drivers operating over-the-road are exempt from the CDC mask requirement.

Operators of transportation hubs are required to ensure that people entering or on their premises wear a mask. Those who fail to comply may be removed and denied reentry, the TSA directive said.


Individuals who refuse to wear a mask may be subject to federal penalties.

The document tells airports to ask individuals to put a mask on and escort them from the property if they refuse.

The Airforwarders Association on Sunday advised members to expect more workplace regulations related to the COVID-19 outbreak from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in response to the president’s Jan. 21 executive order on protecting worker health and safety

Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Eric Kulisch.


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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He won Environmental Journalist of the Year from the Seahorse Freight Association in 2014 and was the group's 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist by the Seahorse Freight Association. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com