The Biden administration will reportedly extend the mask requirement for air, train and bus travel until at least January 18. The current ...
The Biden administration will reportedly extend the mask requirement for air, train and bus travel until at least January 18.
The current Transportation Security Administration (TSA) order expires four months earlier, on Sept. 13.
Major US airlines were informed of the change by TSA and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in a call on Tuesday, three sources told Reuters.
The current mandate went into effect last January, shortly after President Biden took office and required masks on nearly all forms of public transportation. In addition to planes, trains and buses, that included subways, taxis, rideshares and in transportation terminals.
Under Donald Trump, who was president until Jan. 20, a CDC push to mandate masks in transit was blocked and the agency instead only issued strong recommendations for mask use. Trump also rejected efforts by Congress to mandate mask use.
The Biden administration will reportedly extend the mask requirement for air, train and bus travel until at least January 18.
Covid-19 cases have trended upward in recent days amid the spread of the Delta variant. There were 252,369 new Covid-19 cases in the US on Monday, with a seven-day daily average of 141,365 new cases. There were 704 new Covid-19 related deaths Monday.
But with the rise of vaccinations across the country, Republican lawmakers have introduced their own bills to do away with the mask mandate on airplanes.
In May, the CDC said fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks in most indoor settings, but should still wear them in densely populated areas like populated transit. But in July they backtracked that advice to vaccinated Americans, telling them they, along with the unvaccinated, should again mask up in most settings in areas of the country with high or substantial Covid-19 transmission.
Some travelers have resisted the mandate. The Federal Aviation Administration said that since Jan. 1 it has encountered 2,867 passengers who refuse to wear a mask. Those who do not comply could be hit with a $250 fine, or $1,500 for repeat offenders.
Airlines themselves have remained split on whether to require vaccination for employees, but vaccines are not required for passengers.
Republicans have introduced legislation to do away with mask mandates on transit, and have actively called on the CDC to reverse its recommendation for vaccinated travelers.
In July, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced legislation to ban the federal government from instituting a mask mandate for travel. “The federal government forcing the American people to continue to wear masks despite the fact that we’ve already reached herd immunity is ridiculous and needs to end immediately,’ he said at the time.
A month before, Republicans led by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rick Scott, Fla., had introduced their own similar resolution calling on the CDC to lift the mandate.
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