2 years ago
The Biden administration will extend its travel mask mandate through mid-April as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention crafts new guidance for masking on transportation services.
An administration official told POLITICO on Thursday that the Transportation Security Administration directive — set to expire this month — will stay in effect through April 18 so the CDC can “work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor.”
“This revised framework will be based on the COVID-19 community levels, risk of new variants, national data, and the latest science,” the official said. “We will communicate any updates publicly if and/or when they change.”
White House spokesperson Kevin Munoz confirmed the news on Twitter.
Earlier this month, Jeffrey Zients, coordinator for the administration’s Covid-19 response team, and Rochelle Walensky, head of the CDC, said passengers should still expect to don masks on transportation despite restrictions easing across the country. Regardless of vaccination status, federal guidance currently stipulates masks must be worn while riding on a bus, train, traveling on planes, and at stations or ports.
The mask mandate goes hand-in-hand with the Federal Aviation Administration’s zero-tolerance policy. Under the FAA order released last year, as long as the TSA mask order remains in effect, zero-tolerance for unruly passengers — those who verbally or physically assault air crew — is also expected to stay in place.
The airline industry in recent weeks has pushed to drop the mask mandate, citing more sophisticated air filtration systems on board aircraft that help clear airborne particles.
In a letter sent to Zients last month, Airlines for America, which represents major U.S.-based carriers, renewed its petition to ditch a policy requiring predeparture testing for vaccinated individuals traveling to the United States. It also asked the administration to “develop benchmarks and timelines for a pathway to the new normal that repeals pandemic-focused travel restrictions” by June 1.
A4A did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest guidance extension.
Other groups from the travel industry, particularly flight attendants, have said an extension of the mask mandate is a logical step until vulnerable populations can get vaccinated — most notably children under the age of 5.
"We have every expectation that the mask mandate will be extended for the near term," the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said in February. "The layered approach to safety and security includes masks. It’s also critical that we maintain passenger confidence in the safety of air travel."
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