- Travelers will wear masks on airplanes, trains and buses, and at airports and train stations through Jan. 18 to address ongoing COVID-19 risks.
- The purpose of TSA’s mask directive is to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation.
President Joe Biden’s administration confirmed late on Tuesday it plans to extend requirements for travelers to wear masks on airplanes, trains and buses and at airports and train stations through Jan. 18 to address ongoing COVID-19 risks, reports Reuters.
Minimizing COVID spread on public transportation
A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson confirmed the extension, first reported by Reuters. “The purpose of TSA’s mask directive is to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation,” the spokesperson said
Major U.S. airlines were informed of the planned extension on a call with TSA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday, four people briefed on the matter said.
The current TSA transportation mask order runs through Sept 13.
The extension reflects the impact of the highly transmissible Delta variant and is an acknowledgement that transit remains potentially risky, especially for unvaccinated people.
The move comes as U.S. airlines are grappling with whether to require employees to be vaccinated, while Canada said last week it plans to require all airline passengers to be vaccinated.
Mask mandate to be extended
On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told CNN there was no discussion “at this time” about requiring vaccines for domestic airline passengers. Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson said the TSA mask mandate extension “will help tremendously to keep passengers and aviation workers safe.”
The current CDC order, which has been in place since soon after Biden took office in January, requires the use of face masks on nearly all forms of public transportation.
It requires face masks to be worn by all travelers on airplanes, ships, trains, subways, buses, taxis and ride-shares and at transportation hubs such as airports, bus or ferry terminals, train and subway stations, and seaports.
The requirements have been the source of some friction, especially aboard U.S. airlines, where some travelers have refused to wear masks.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which has instituted a “zero tolerance” enforcement effort on unruly passengers, said on Tuesday that since Jan. 1 it has received reports from airlines of 2,867 passengers refusing to wear masks.
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Source: Reuters
