Does anyone else feel like the solution to the health crisis is worse than the problem?
If you listened to the Walton & Johnson show this morning you probably heard us speak with Texas State Rep Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park), a lawmaker and attorney who's currently working with the parents of a 3-yr-old boy living with autism.
In case you're curious, here's the rest of the details from that news story:
A Texas mother says her family was refused service on a recent Southwest Airlines flight because her 3-year-old son with autism would not wear a face mask.
Alyssa Sadler planned to fly from Midland to Houston with her son and daughter, 1, on Monday when the alleged incident occurred, Click2Houston reports.
The flight initially left the gate, Sadler said, but soon returned after a crew member noticed that the boy would not keep the mask on.
"They're going over the security safety features and all that, and the flight attendant walks by and tells me that he has to put a mask on,” she continued to KTRK. “So, I try to put the mask on him. He is 3 and has autism and sensory processing disorders, so he wouldn't keep the mask on."
Then, the flight attendant allegedly alerted the captain of the issue, who asked Sadler’s son to wear the mask before returning the plane to the gate.
Sadler said the captain announced the reason for the early return over the loudspeaker, telling the plane that a noncompliant passenger refused to wear a facial covering. From there, Sadler said an escort helped remove her family’s luggage and that airline officials later wrote up her son for noncompliance to the carrier’s policy.
The parent stressed that she understands the importance of the mask policy but argued that exemptions must be made for those with disabilities.
"I agree with the mask policy," Sadler told the outlet. "I wear my mask everywhere I go. It's not an issue, but you've got to have some kind of exemption, especially for people with disabilities.”
In a policy update effective July 27, Southwest ended face mask exemptions for passengers over the age of 2 and suspended medical exceptions for the PPE, citing evolving guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amid the coronavirus health crisis.