Industry groups and Republican lawmakers want the administration to immediately end the 14-month-old mask-wearing mandate. The latest extension would keep the requirements, which were due to expire on April 18, in place until May 3, amid rising COVID-19 cases. An official announcement is expected later on Wednesday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first issued a public health order requiring the wearing of masks on interstate transportation and in transit centers, including airplanes, public transportation, taxis, rideshare vehicles, and trains, beginning in February 2021. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued a security directive to enforce the CDC order.
CDC and TSA mask requirements have been extended several times.
One of the informed sources on the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted the obligation of an increase in COVID-19 cases. The extension, the source said, will give the CDC time “to assess the potential impact the increased cases have on serious illness, including hospitalizations and deaths, and health care system capacity.” “
The White House’s new COVID-19 response coordinator, Ashish Jha, said Monday that CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will decide whether the term should be extended.
Airlines for America, a trade group, continued in a letter Wednesday urging the Biden administration “to rely on science and research, which clearly support lifting the mask mandate. … That has no makes sense to require masks on an airplane when masks are not recommended in places like crowded restaurants, bars or sports facilities.”
The group cited CDC advice that nearly all Americans live in counties where they can avoid wearing masks indoors. In February, the CDC relaxed its guidelines for wearing a mask.
Last month, the US Senate voted 57 to 40 in favor of overturning the public health order requiring the wearing of masks on planes and other public transportation, drawing the threat of a veto from Mr. Biden.
Mask requirements have sometimes led to friction on US planes. The Federal Aviation Administration said that since January 2021, a record 7,060 unruly passenger incidents have been reported – and 70% of them involved mask rules.
The administration has also considered lifting requirements that international visitors must obtain a negative COVID-19 test within a day of travel, as many countries have dropped testing requirements but are not taking immediate action. The United States requires foreign air travelers to be vaccinated.