US Extends Public Transportation Mask Mandates

The United States government has extended the nationwide mask mandate for public forms of transportation as it monitors reports of a surge in coronavirus cases.

The order that was set to expire on April 18 was extended by the CDC because of the need to monitor for an increase in severe virus outcomes as cases rise in parts of the country.

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The CDC said the move was made out of an abundance of caution, but President Joe Biden and his administration are still working on a more flexible masking strategy to replace the nationwide requirement.

The Travel Health Notice system for international destinations would be changed. The new system will reserve Level 4 travel health notices for special circumstances, such as rapidly escalating case trajectory or extremely high case counts, emergence of a new variant of concern or healthcare infrastructure collapse.

The system will go into effect on April 18 and levels 3, 2, and 1 will be determined by 28-day incidence or case counts. Travelers will have an alert when they should not travel to a certain destination.

Biden will likely face backlash from the travel industry for extending the mandate, which requires anyone traveling through an airport or on an airplane, train or bus to wear a facial covering.

A group of state attorneys general filed a lawsuit in March to block mask mandates on public transportation.

In addition, the chief executive officers from American, Delta, Southwest, United and other airlines sent a letter to President Joe Biden and his administration last month asking them to lift COVID-era transportation mandates.

The following statement was provided by the U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy.

Travelers and the travel industry need to hear firm plans to navigate the endemic environment in which the public and practically all other industries are now operating, as the CDC no longer recommends masks for the overwhelming majority of the U.S. population. With all of the tools available to mitigate the virus, it is time for the administration to set a clear end date for federal requirements on mask usage as well as pre-departure testing for air travelers to the U.S.