A mother of a two-year-old girl posted a video to Instagram on Friday of a gate agent for United Airlines asking her, her daughter, and her husband to leave a flight they had boarded traveling from Colorado to Newark, New Jersey because the little girl wouldn’t put a mask on.
Video of the incident shows Orban and her husband trying to put the mask on Edeline’s face, but the child won’t comply. Later, a gate agent arrives and says to Orban’s husband, “Hello sir. I’m going to have to ask you to grab your belongings and exit the aircraft.”
Orban’s husband answers, “You gotta be kidding me. Why? We’re over here holding this mask on her face.”
The agent repeats, “I’m sorry sir. I gave you an opportunity.”
Orban’s husband: “And I took that opportunity and ran with it. You see this, I’m literally covering her face. Do you guys do this all the time or what? Like, what?”
Agent: “If there’s non-compliance, yes.”
After they are off the flight, Orban’s husband tells the agent, “I’m not upset at you; I don’t want you to think I’m upset with you; I just think that it’s so, so stupid how you enforce, so strict, it makes no sense.”
Agent: “There’s no compliance.”
Orban’s husband: “This virus has a 99% survival rate. If we use our minds …. What happens now?”
A spokesperson for United told DailyMail.com: “The health and safety of our employees and customers is our highest priority, which is why we have a multi-layered set of policies, including mandating that everyone onboard two and older wears a mask. These procedures are not only backed by guidance from the [Centers for Disease Prevention and Control] CDC and our partners at the Cleveland Clinic, but they’re also consistent across every major airline.” United added, ‘We are investigating this specific incident and have made contact with the family. We also refunded their tickets and returned their car seat and bags.”
As Orban noted, the World Health Organization recommends against requiring face masks for children under five: “Children aged 5 years and under should not be required to wear masks,” the guidance reads. “This is based on the safety and overall interest of the child and the capacity to appropriately use a mask with minimal assistance.”
United’s mask policy states:
For everyone’s safety, all travelers are required to wear a face covering with no vents or openings that fully covers their nose and mouth. Face coverings must be worn during the entire flight and in the airport, including at United customer service counters and kiosks, United ClubSM locations, our gates and our baggage claim areas. A face shield alone does not count as a face covering. Travelers who aren’t wearing their face coverings in the airport or on board may be refused transport and could also lose their travel privileges on future United flights. Children younger than 2 years old are exempt.
This is an excerpt from The Daily Wire.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
