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Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly has tested positive for COVID-19 after he testified Wednesday alongside other airline executives in a U.S. Senate hearing.
Although Kelly, who was fully vaccinated and received a booster, “tested negative multiple times” ahead of the hearing, a Southwest spokesperson tells PEOPLE in a statement, “Kelly tested positive for COVID-19 after returning home, experiencing mild symptoms, and taking a PCR test.”
The airline noted that Kelly “is doing well and currently resting at home,” adding: “Gary’s symptoms continue to be very mild and each day he is moving closer to a full recovery.”
Kelly did not wear a mask at Wednesday’s hearing, during which hequestioned the necessity of masks on airplanes. “I think the case is very strong that masks don’t add much if anything in the air cabin environment — it’s very safe, very high quality compared to any other indoor setting,” he said, according to Reuters.
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“There is no effort underway to change it before it expires. Southwest adopted a mask onboard mandate last year [in May 2020], long before the federal government required it,” Kelly added. “The majority of our Employees and Customers have felt it has been an important layer of protection, and I certainly agree with that.”
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Wednesday’s Senate hearing lasted for more than three hours, in regards to the $54 billion in federal payroll support airlines took on during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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source: people.com
