If you have a flight scheduled soon, don’t ditch that face mask yet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday extended the mask mandate on airplanes, trains, and buses for 15 days through May 3, per a Wednesday release from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The TSA also issued this statement:
“[The] CDC continues to monitor the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, especially the BA.2 subvariant that now makes up more than 85% of U.S. cases. Since early April 2022, there have been increases in the 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases in the United States. During the 15-day extension period, CDC will assess the potential impact the recent rise of COVID-19 cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations, deaths, and healthcare system capacity. TSA will continue to coordinate closely with CDC and communicate any changes to this requirement with the public.”