Report: Airline Mask Mandate To Be Extended Again

The federal mask mandate is valid for an additional week. There were a lot of questions about whether or not it would be extended again. We can expect a further one month extension now that it has been reported.

The United States has a federal transportation mask mandate. For context.

• All airlines in the United States started requiring masks in 2020, within a few months of the start of the pandemic
• When Biden took office in January 2021, he introduced a federal transportation mask mandate, which applied to airlines and airports; while it didn’t have that many practical implications, it ultimately supported airline employees in enforcing a federal law, rather than just an airline policy
• This was initially valid through September 14, 2021, then it was extended through January 18, 2022, and then it was extended through March 18, 2022
• While there hasn’t been anything official just yet, it’s being reported that the mask mandate is expected to be extended by an additional month, presumably through mid-April 2022

I was curious to see if the federal transportation mask mandate would be extended again.

On the other side:

• Case numbers are currently way down compared to the peak that we saw in January, and we’re headed into the spring and then eventually summer
• We’re seeing more and more countries declaring an end to pandemic-related restrictions, and at some point the United States will likely have to do that as well
• There has been talk about the political benefit of lifting restrictions ahead of the midterm elections later this year, as a way to essentially declare victory against coronavirus (I’m not saying I agree with that, but it is a theory)

On the other side:

• Even if the United States were to lift its mask mandate for aviation, other countries might not
• It will create a lot of confusion if passengers have to wear masks to some destinations, but not others
• Once the mask mandate is eliminated for transportation, it will be hard to bring it back

I was curious when the mask mandate would be lifted, and I was unsure if it would be extended. I think it's encouraging that the mask mandate is only being extended by an additional month, rather than being extended by two months.

If there is not a new variant that leads to a big increase in cases, we may see the transportation mask mandate lifted in April 2022.

The federal transportation mask mandate in the United States will last through March 18, 2022. It is being reported that we should expect it to be extended by another month. I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and perhaps this will be the last extension.

What do you think about the federal transportation mask mandate being extended?