Mom And Six Children Kicked Out Of A JetBlue Flight After A Two-Year-Old Refused To Wear A Mask

The mask rule for public spaces has taken over a vast majority of the world with an unshakeable intensity and just about every establishment now requiring customers to wear a one when entering their premises. Airline company JetBlue Airways also enforced the policy on a flight from Orlando to New York and due to this, a mom and her six children were kicked out of a flight after one of her kids, a 2-year-old, refused to wear a mask, reports ABC News. Speaking to the outlet after the incident, Chaya Bruck, 39, from Brooklyn, said: "It was extremely traumatizing for me and my family." According to Bruck, she tried to put a mask on her youngest child, Dina, but she continually pulled it off. "Should I tie her hands, what should I do?" Bruck questioned the flight attendant in a video of the incident. "It was humiliating," she recalled later.

"We have to deplane," the attendant reportedly said, stating that the airline had a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to people not wearing masks. The attendant refused to budge from their stance even though other passengers on the plane did their best to support Bruck during the ordeal, the video shows. Anny Taveras, one of the passengers, from Kissimmee, Florida, spoke to ABC News and said: "All of the passengers were up, screaming, and hollering saying 'that's not fair, don't do that to that mother." However,  the flight only took off after everyone got off the plane. This incident comes in the wake of US airlines strengthening their mask requirements and even banning passengers who refuse to comply with the policy.

Per reports, JetBlue is one of the many major airlines which requires children over the age of 2 to compulsorily wear a face covering to fly, a statement from the service provider said. A spokesperson for the airline also chimed in and said that the policy was updated on August 10 in a bid to ensure everyone is wearing a mask —adults and children included—and that the policy in accordance with CDC guidelines, which cites that children below two aren't required to wear masks. Bruck and Taveras reportedly said that the announcements prior to boarding stated children who cannot wear a mask are exempt. However, yet another passenger Chardette Poinsette and her young son were also kicked out of the flight for the same reason. Poinsette said: "I stuck up for her, and I think I was the one who stood out the most because what I was saying was correct."

Poinsette and Bruck were then forced to head back home on different flights after they were pushed out of the airplane. Bruck clearly seems to be bothered by the trauma and humiliation she had to face while having six kids in toe. "I need some time to recover from this," she said. "My kids need to recover from this." Naturally, the incident sparked a debate on social media with people from all ends of the spectrum exercising their opinion on whether JetBlue was right to kick the mom off. Thomas Osaki wrote: "This is why we need a vaccine...to stop all the craziness ensuing from COVID-19 restrictions! Regarding this family, she should have been left alone. If she was able to go from NY to Orlando without problems, she should have been allowed to fly back without problems." George312 wrote: "What you did on your flight from #Orlando to #NYC to #ChayaBruck and her 6 children are inhumane, it shows no compassion and the inability to make adjustments. She should be materially compensated for that. And I'm a #JetBlue flyer."