WASHINGTON: The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said Thursday, recently increased the proposed fine for travelers who failed to wear masks at the airport and in other transit mode.
TSA said it had proposed $ 85,990 a fine for 190 mask offenders until Monday after more than 5,000 incidents reported since February 2 and issued a warning to more than 2,200.
On Monday, two members of the US Parliament at the House of Representatives revealed that TSA had spent only $ 2,350 in a total of 10 passengers until mid-September, even though thousands of airport travelers reported failed to obey.
Chairman of Home Homeland Security Committee Bennie Thompson and Bonnie Watson Coleman, who led the home transportation subcommittee, said that even though 4,102 reports of incident related to the TSA mask had issued only 10 fine until September 13.
“We urge you to implement this enhanced penalty to curb.
Increasing increased passenger incidents that interfere with masks,” wrote members of parliament.
TSA said on Thursday it had “took steps to carry out more meaningful enforcement and compliance, including by increasing punishment, reducing processing time since receipt of the incident report on the issuance of frequent and routine enforcement and interactions with air carrier to improve reporting.
.
“The body also said almost 200 people faced criminal penalties.
The TSA Administrator David Pekoske in July said that since the beginning of the pandemic there had been more than 85 physical attacks on TSA officers.
In August, TSA extended the requirements of masks on airplanes, trains and buses and at the airport and train stations until January 18 to resolve the risk of Covid-19.
Requirements, first dropped in early February, has been the source of some friction, especially on US aircraft, where several travelers refused to wear masks.
The administration of federal aviation, which has instituted efforts to enforce “zero tolerance” in passengers who are difficult to arrange, until Monday has received 4,941 passenger reports that are difficult to arrange – including 3,580 incidents related to masks.
Last month, TSA said it doubled the penalty for violating the masks of transportation masks: $ 500- $ 1000 for the first offenders and $ 1000- $ 3000 for second violators.