TSA Will Now Let You Pack a 12-Ounce Bottle of Hand Sanitizer in Your Carry-on Luggage
Adapting protocols amid the ongoing pandemic, many major airlines are requiring passengers to wear face masks. In preparation for summer travel, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced its own updated security procedures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In a press release, TSA reported that it's experienced a steady growth of travelers that have gone through security checkpoints, which makes sense since most states have started reopening. “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,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. “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.”
Under the new policies, which will start rolling out in the coming weeks, passengers will keep their boarding passes instead handing them to a TSA officer. After they scan their passes, they'll hold them up so the officer can visually inspect them. This will help reduce the potential for cross-contamination. Passengers will also have to separate their carry-on food items into bins for X-ray screening. According to the TSA, food items often trigger an alarm during the screening process, forcing agents to open a customers's bags and touch their food. So this new procedure will also help reduce cross-contamination.
While liquids, gels or aerosols in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces are still prohibited, the TSA is allowing each customer to pack one liquid hand sanitizer of up to 12 ounces in a carry-on. But it'll need to be removed for X-ray screening. To help implement social distancing, there will be visual reminders of spacing on checkpoint floors and the use of lanes will be staggered. The social distancing measures might vary depending on the airport. All TSA officers at checkpoints are using face coverings, and travelers are also encouraged to wear them.
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