Roommates, if you have an upcoming trip planned and you’re hopping on a form of public transportation, make sure you pack your mask because you’ll still need it. While there has been discussion of the federal transportation mask mandate ending, CNN reports that it has been extended for another 15 days. This means individuals traveling aboard airplanes, trains, and public transportation in the United States will wear a mask until early May.
The Federal Government Extends Transportation Mask Mandate
The federal government made the confirmation on Wednesday, and it’s set to expire on May 3rd officially. A statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states,
“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 US cases.” It added, “Since early April 2022, there have been increases in the 7-day moving average of Covid-19 cases in the United States. TSA will continue to coordinate closely with CDC and communicate any changes to this requirement with the public.”
In addition, the CDC says BA.2 caused 86% of new Covid-19 cases nationwide last week.
A Biden administration official told CNN the goal of the extension was to gather more information about the BA.2 variant. Data from Johns Hopkins University shows the USA is currently averaging 38,345 new COVID-19 cases per day, and cases are trending up in more than half of the states, except one.
Northeast, Delaware has had one of the lowest amounts of cases since mid-July. As we previously reported, the mandate was originally set to expire on April 18th. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha stated Monday that the CDC planned to share a scientific framework for the federal transportation mask mandate this week.
Roommates, do you plan on wearing your mask while traveling?
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