The federal mask mandate on public transportation will be extended for 30 days.
President Joe Biden implemented the requirement for passengers to wear a mask on public transportation in January of 2021. The mandate is still in effect at the earliest, after the administration extended it past its March 18 expiration date.
The revised framework will be based on community levels, risk of new variant, national data, and the latest science, according to the statement.
Henry Harteveldt, travel analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, told Insider that he is surprised that the CDC extended the mandate on aircraft because the agency has allowed the requirement to end in several states and cities. 70% of the US population can remove their masks according to recent CDC guidance.
It makes airlines and airports look bad when they have to remind passengers that masks are still required.
It also puts workers in an uncomfortable position because the second you step out of that airport terminal, you are probably going to be in a community where mask-wearing is no longer required.
A source told CNN that there is a chance the mask mandate will be dropped before April 18 if the cases and transmission rates in the US are less than acceptable.
The mask requirement on aircraft has been a burden for airline and airport workers who have been the victims of verbal and physical attacks by unruly passengers. Over 4,000 of the disruptive passenger reports made to the Federal Aviation Administration were related to masks.
The Transport Workers Union, which represents flight attendants at several US carriers, said in a statement to Insider that it supports federal guidance based on science and the recommendations of the CDC, but noted that the mandate has led to an increased rate of unruly behavior on planes.
Unruly passengers were an issue that our members dealt with before the Pandemic, but we have seen this behavior dramatically increase over the past two years since mask mandates were enacted.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
