Transportation Mask Rule Extension, New Testing Requirements Announced
Today with the Omicron COVID-19 variant continuing to spread, President Joe Biden modified a number of COVID-related requirements. According to CNBC, the mask mandate on enclosed transportation (buses, airplanes, trains, train stations and airports) now runs through March 18th. Biden also tightened testing requirements for those traveling from a foreign country to the United States.
“We’re going to fight this variant with science and speed, not chaos and confusion,” the president said today during his speech at the National Institutes of Health, as stated by the New York Times. The president detailed his plan during the speech, which includes a push for Americans to receive the booster shot, increased vaccines for children, free at-home testing for COVID detection, and the previously mentioned interventions.


Photo Source: Hollywood Reporter
As of today’s remarks, those wishing to enter the United States from a foreign country require proof of a negative COVID test within 24 hours of flying. Previously, the rule was within 72 hours. The new requirement could start as early as next week, according to a CNBC report.


Photo Credit: Videvo.net
Mask Extension In Place for Winter
Mask-wearing requirements now extended into mid-March. Those rules were put in place via CDC order in January, when President Biden took office. The requirement applies to anyone traveling on airplanes, subways, buses, ships, trains, ride-shares, taxis, and at any facility used for such transportation.
As the world enters its third year in the pandemic, the Omicron variant poses a new challenge in the fight to stem the virus. The variant presents with over 50 genetic mutations to the spike protein. Yesterday, California reported the first case in the United States . The mask mandate extension and new testing requirements come as part of a plan to mitigate this.


Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG
The World Health Organization classified Omicron as a highly transmissible variant of concern. First identified in South Africa a few weeks ago, Omicron has now been identified in at least 24 countries, according to an NPR report.
Feature Image Credit: The White House (whitehouse.gov)