Washington – U.S. air travelers were handed new rules Sunday, given permission to carry small amounts of liquid nonprescription medicine onto planes and instructed to remove their shoes during security checks.
The shoes have to be placed on an X-ray belt for screening. Until now, the agency has strongly suggested removing shoes for screening but hasn’t required it.
The eased restrictions on medicine and the mandatory shoe removal were among several measures the Transportation Security Administration ordered Sunday in response to the alleged terrorism plot in Britain involving U.S.-bound airplanes that was foiled last week.
The TSA had previously banned all liquid medications; now it will allow up to 4 ounces of liquid nonprescription medicine.
The alleged conspirators had planned to blow up as many as 10 planes flying from Britain to the U.S. using liquid explosives, which the TSA’s security equipment can’t detect.
In other measures, the TSA said it would let passengers carry on treatments for low blood sugar, including glucose gel for diabetics as well as solid lipstick and baby food, but it said all aerosols were prohibited.
On Saturday, the TSA added mascara to the list of banned items, which includes baby teethers with gel or liquid inside, children’s toys with gel inside and gel candles.
However, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff reassured people that the new security measures would go only so far.
“I don’t see us moving to a total ban on hand baggage at this point,” he told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
Passengers can continue to wear shoes containing gel heels, but they must remove any sort of gel sole insert and put those into checked baggage.
