It is expected that the federal mask mandate for airplanes and airports will be extended until mid-March 2022, at a minimum.
An announcement about a new international travel testing requirement could coincide with the extension of the federal transportation mask mandate in the United States. For context.
All airlines in the United States started requiring masks in 2020.
When Biden took office in January of 2021, he introduced a federal transportation mask mandate, which applied to airlines and airports, and supported airline employees in enforcing a federal law, rather than just an airline policy.
This was extended through January 18, 2022.
It was only a few weeks until this was due to end, so it is expected to be extended for two more months.
This shouldn't come as a surprise.
I think it is a foregone conclusion that this will be extended, even though most of us would like to have the pandemic under control.
We now have the new omicron variant, and initial research suggests it is not too bad in terms of severity, but no government wants to seem like they aren't doing something about it.
We may see an increase in cases during the winter due to more people interacting indoors.
In Europe, there are many coronaviruses cases.
The situation in the United States and federal regulations are not the only ones that will be complicated.
The United States might not be the only country that has a mask mandate for aviation.
It will create a lot of confusion if passengers have to wear masks to different destinations.
I am not sure if the mask mandate will be lifted before the summer of 2022. I think we will be wearing masks on planes for a long time.
The federal transportation mask mandate in the United States will be extended through mid-March of 2022, which is roughly two months. It is not surprising to see this with concerns over the new omicron variant.
What do you think about the federal mandate being extended?
Ben is the founder of OMAAT.
