Mask mandate extended for airline flights and on public transportation until April 18
Source: Washington Post
Travelers will have to continue to wear masks until April 18 when flying commercially and in other transportation settings, including on buses, ferries and subways, officials announced Thursday. The mandate, which was first put into place by the Biden administration in early 2021 as a public health measure during the coronavirus pandemic, has been extended multiple times. It had been set to expire March 18.
“During that time, CDC will work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor. This revised framework will be based on the COVID-19 community levels, risk of new variants, national data, and the latest science,” an administration official said in a statement.
The announcement comes as a growing number of states have rolled back rules that people wear masks indoors and as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its rules on mask-wearing. The revised guidance details new metrics designed to help individuals assess the risk in their community so they could determine whether extra precautions are needed.
The shift also signaled the Biden administration’s view that the United States has entered a different, potentially less dangerous phase of the pandemic and that after more than two years of living with the virus, most communities have greater protection against severe disease because of widespread immunity gained from both vaccinations and infections. It also acknowledged the increased availability of treatments, testing and higher-quality masks.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/03/10/transportation-mask-requirement-air-travel/
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Not much info out there, at least that I've been able to find.
COVID is definitely not over, no matter how inconvenient it is.
