Biden: Stay off of planes, subways

Speaking on NBC's Today Show, Biden said "I would tell members of my family, and I have, I wouldn't go anywhere in confined spaces places now." The vice president specifically mentioned airplanes and subways. if one person sneezes on a confined airplane, "it goes all the way through the aircraft," Biden said.

As for whether he would encourage his family to take public transportation, Biden said "I would not be at this point, if they had another way of transportation, suggesting they ride the subway." But Biden was quick to limit his remarks to his own family. "That's me," he said.

Although not specifically encouraging other Americans to avoid planes and subways, Biden's comments appear to go beyond the recommendations of other federal government officials and could discourage tourism and travel in the United States in the midst of a recession.

Biden did stick closely to the administration's talking points when asked about closing the border with Mexico. Biden said closing the border would be impractical because the H1N1 flu has already spread to the U.S..