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"It's important that you have proper personal protective equipment," said Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants.
"We're very familiar with putting safety, health and security first in aviation."
She says some airlines have created their own mask policies, but she thinks it should be more broadly coordinated by the government.
"There's going to have to be a new norm here and a lot of policies that are put in place in order to gain the confidence of the public to be able to travel again," she said.
In order for the industry to survive, she says airlines will need to rework their safety measures and spend the summer educating the public about the changes through a coordinated effort.
She said people won't buy tickets until they are confident they can travel safely.
Not only does the industry have a responsibility to help contain the virus, she says — airlines must also help contain the threat of the virus.
"The last thing we want to do in aviation is be aiding the spread of the virus and making it harder on our health care professionals and extending the amount of time that our industry is facing no demand."