WASHINGTON D.C., DC — With the coronavirus pandemic, travel has seen a steep drop off. However,with Memorial Day on the horizon the TSA is changing some of its guidelines in order to keep travelers and employees safe.
“In the interest of TSA frontline workers and traveler health, TSA is committed to making prudent changes to our screening processes to limit physical contact and increase physical distance as much as possible,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “We continue to evaluate our security measures with an eye towards making smart, timely decisions benefiting health and safety, as well as the traveler experience.”
The first thing travelers will notice is they will never hand over a boarding pass to a TSA agent. Passengers will need to place their pass on the boarding pass reader themselves, then the agent will inspect it without touching it.
Food will also now have to be separated from any carry-on bags. TSA said that food often triggers an alarm during the screening process, so if it's separated, there will be less reasons for an agent to go through a travelers bag.
One of the biggest changes that will now be allowed by the TSA is that up to 12 ounces of hand sanitizer will now be allowed for each passenger, much larger than the typical 3.4 ounces. Travelers need to remove the sanitizer from their bag before the X-Ray screening.
In line, passengers are obviously asked to maintain social distancing. Travelers are also asked to wear a face covering at all times during the security process.