Police confronted Dennis Rodman, a former NBA player, on Monday morning. He refused to use a mask while on board a plane even though he was asked about it four times.
Rodman was 60 years old and is also known by the nickname “The Worm”. He was sitting first class in a JetBlue flight to Fort Lauderdale from Los Angeles. Staff asked him to take off his mask which he placed on top of his head.
COVID cases are on the rise. Airports and airlines continue to enforce federal mask requirements for passengers and staff to prevent spread of Omicron.
According to reports, the former basketball star had complied with staff’s request but kept his mask down because he said he was having trouble breathing.
Rodman and deputies of the Broward Co. Sheriff’s Office met after multiple incidents.
After he had agreed to cooperate, he was let go and no citation was issued.
Dennis Rodman (66) was a former NBA player and was stopped by officers at an airport Monday after he failed to comply with the flight attendant’s mask requirement. Photo taken in Fort Lauderdale, August
Rodman seated in the first class of a JetBlue flight between Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale
Later, Rodman was let go by Broward County Sheriff’s Office officers at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport.
JetBlue has stated that passengers over two years old must use the mask for the entire flight and in the airport throughout landing and boarding.
To properly cover your nose and mouth, the mask should be placed above your chin.
Rodman’s failure to adhere to COVID guidelines isn’t the first incident Rodman had.
Rodman failed to adhere to the September 2020 mask mandate and social distancing in September 2020, while Rodman was speaking with Los Angeles Whole Foods Market customers.
As he interacted with the basketball player, he could be seen speaking and shaking hands while his fans continued wearing his mask.
Rodman, who was previously seen in violation of social distancing guidelines while interfacing with customers at a Whole Foods Market Los Angeles in September 2020, kept his mask down and kept his face below his chin.
Rodman kept the mask underneath his chin and the fans kept theirs on while interacting with Rodman
Rodman isn’t the only celeb to be criticized over his mask. Katie Price from Britain was previously kicked out of a connecting flight in November when she refused to use a mask.
Price, 43, was flying with her Love Island star fiancé Carl Woods, 32, when a passenger claimed that she had refused to comply with the mandate four times before she was kicked off.
Twitter was taken by the tourist who shared details about the incident. This is so embarrassing and annoying. Your bloody mask is worth it.
“Apparently, she was repeatedly asked to wear a mask four times. When she was warned that she might be removed from the plane, she said she’d rather go ahead and do it then…
They didn’t know who she was. Carl seemed mortified. She said to me “I didn’t do anything” ! It’s embarrassing to wear matching cream tracksuits.
Katie’s friend, however, disputed these claims and told The Sun that Katie was calling her children on the phone so she had taken the mask off to make it more clear…
“She was finishing the call, when the cabin crew told her to cover her mouth with the mask.
According to the companion, it was not true. She chose to exit the plane as she hadn’t finished speaking to her kids. The drama was overblown when she walked away and boarded the next flight.
Katie Price (43-year-old model) was reported to have been kicked from a connection flight between New York and Las Vegas by her husband Carl Woods (32) after refusing to wear a mask four times.
One of the passengers onboard the flight shared the story via Twitter
As it recently represented 73 percent of all COVID cases, the Omicron strain has become the predominant COVID variant in America.
It is believed that the new variant accounts for 90% of all new infections in New York, Southeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest.
TSA staff are now screening more passengers than ever at airports during the holiday season, even though there is an increase in cases.
On December 19, there was an average daily case count of 133,012, which is 21 percentage points higher than two weeks ago.
COVID-19 hospitalizations increased by 16 percent to 69.387 people per day, an average of 16% more than two weeks ago.
The death rate rose 9 percent to 1,296 deaths per day.
The new case count for the Omicron variant has reached 1,079 in total- a 25 percent increase from the 858 cases confirmed on Sunday morning.
