McHenry Times

The Gary Rabine for Governor campaign has issued the following press release:

The mask mandate on airlines continues to be a major issue for travelers. This week, I released the following statement calling for the end of the mask mandate on airlines: 

Gary Rabine, a candidate for governor, says the continued policy of requiring passengers to wear mask on airplanes is doing little to boost public safety, but it is doing a great deal to harm the nation’s economic recovery. 

“The reality is that the mask mandate is fomenting fear and creating conflict aboard airplanes,” Rabine said. “We have people getting into fights because of disagreements about masks. It is crazy. Then when you consider that people are allowed to take their masks off on planes if they are eating food, the mask mandate becomes even more bizarre. We need to focus on getting the economy back and unnecessary rules such as requiring masks on planes are hindering our economic comeback.” 

Rabine noted that both Boeing and United Airlines are two of the largest companies in the nation and both are headquartered in Illinois. 

“We need the airline industry to come back in a big way,” Rabine said. “With one of the busiest airports in the country located in Chicago, the airline industry is extremely important to our state. We need a return to normalcy. We need to end the absurd and unnecessary mask mandate on airlines.” 

Rabine said he supports a lawsuit Lucas Wall, a 44-year-old Washington, D.C. man, has filed against seven different airlines and the TSA challenging the mask mandates on airplanes. Wall says his anxiety disorder prevents him from wearing masks and the mandate is discriminating against him. Rabine said he also supports the Travel Mask Mandate Repeal Act of 2021 Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has introduced to prohibit mask mandates on public transportation.  

According to the CDC between March 1, 2020, and Dec. 31 of 2020, mask mandates stopped COVID-19 case growth rates by one half of one percent after 20 days and by less than 2 percent after 100 days.  

“The only purpose mask mandates are serving right now is to cause people to live in fear,” Rabine said. “It is time we exercised some common sense, put an end to these senseless mask mandates, and get back to normal. The future of our economy depends on it.”