US Extends travel mask mandate until May 3 as Covid-19 spikes

US Extends travel mask mandate until May 3 as Covid-19 spikes. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that the COVID-19 mask requirement for public transit and airplanes will be extended until May 3.

“While the CDC examines the possible impact of the increase in cases on severe disease, including hospitalizations and fatalities, and healthcare system capacity, the CDC Mask Order remains in effect. 

In addition, the security directive and emergency amendment will be extended for 15 days, until May 3, 2022, by the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), “According to the statement.

The Biden administration has renewed the order multiple times as it struggles to respond to COVID-19 and its derivatives. 

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More than 20 states have reported an increase in infections caused by the BA.2 variation, a highly transmissible strain, but a decrease in hospitalizations due to the order.

One of the few statutory coronavirus measures still in force is the public transportation mask regulation. “Persons must wear masks over their mouths and noses when traveling into or within the United States on any conveyance (e.g., airplanes, trains, subways, buses, taxis, ride-shares, ferries, ships, trolleys, and cable cars),” according to the order, as well as while in or using transportation hubs.

After the CDC modified its recommendations to reflect the changing reality on the ground and highlighted spaces where Americans did not need to wear masks, the directive faced a slew of court challenges and strong resistance from government officials, companies, and regular Americans.

The CEOs of major American airlines wrote a letter to the president earlier this year, requesting that the mask restriction on planes be lifted. The signatories noted that their workers are burdened with implementing the mask requirement while dealing with increasingly irate guests.