By Alice Seeley
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced on April 13 that the 14-month-old federal mask mandate on airplanes and other forms of transportation will be extended for another 15 days until Tuesday, May 3.
The move comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified a new variant of COVID, BA.2. The BA.2 COVID variant currently accounts for more than 85% of COVID cases in the U.S.
“Since early April, there have been increases in the 7-day moving average of cases in the U.S. In order to assess the potential impact the rise of cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and health care system capacity, the CDC Order will remain in place at this time,” said CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund.
The extension of the mask mandate occurred after several Republican lawmakers and CEOS of major airlines urged the Biden administration to lift the masking requirements. On Wednesday, April 13, the Biden administration received a letter from Airlines for America, a trade group, urging the administration “to lean into science and research, which clearly support lifting the mask mandate. … It makes no sense to require masks on a plane when masks are not recommended in places like restaurants, bars or crowded sports facilities.”
Last month, the U.S. Senate voted 57-40 to overturn the mask mandate on airplanes and other forms of public transportation. However, Biden threatened to veto the bill when it reached his desk. The Biden administration also considered removing the requirement that international visitors get a negative COVID test within a day of travel. Although many other countries have dropped testing requirements, the Biden administration has not taken any immediate action to do the same.
