New York airports will start punishing passengers without masks

Passengers of PATH bus and train terminals will also be fined for missing masks. The fine will amount to $50.

The new rule will come into force on Monday, 2 November. It applies to passengers at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports, PATH trains connecting Manhattan to New Jersey and Port Authority bus terminals in Midtown and Washington Heights.

These measures were taken to reduce the risk of СOVID-19 diseases. New York Mayor Bill De Blasio said: "The infection rate of COVID-19 in New York City is increasing, positive test results have risen to 2% and if the number of positive tests does not decrease, we will have to close our facilities and introduce additional restrictions".

The Executive Director of the Port Authority said: "By imposing a $50 fine on passengers who do not wear a mask, we are demonstrating that the pandemic situation is critical".

The Port Authority will fine all three airports, but with the exception of the 'sterile zone' managed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Several airlines have blacklisted passengers who have refused to wear masks during flights over the past seven months.

Port Authority data shows that passenger traffic at these three airports in September was approximately 87 per cent lower than in the same month in 2019.

The agency lost 1.2 billion dollars to COVID-19

Airlines are lobbying for the resumption of some flights between the USA and Europe, which have been closed to almost all travellers since mid-March.

On Thursday United Airlines announced a pilot programme under which all passengers on certain flights between Newark and London will have to pass a test on COVID-19 before boarding or connecting to another flight.