Fauci: US should consider vaccine mandate for US air travel

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top U.S. infectious disease expert says the nation should consider a vaccination mandate for domestic air travel.

Dr. Anthony Fauci's comments Monday signal a potential embrace of an idea the Biden administration has previously eschewed.

He says such a mandate might drive up the lagging U.S. vaccination rate as well as confer stronger protection on flights, as infection rates spike.

The Biden administration has thus far balked at imposing a vaccination requirement for domestic air travel.

And officials say President Joe Biden's science advisers have yet to make a formal recommendation for such a requirement.

A vaccine mandate for air travel is likely to spark legal challenges.