US Extends Transportation Mask Mandate for 15 More Days
United States Health Officials announced today (Wednesday, April 13th) that they will be extending the mask mandate for an additional 15 days. This means masks will still be required on airplanes, trains and transit hubs.
If you’ve been following along with MickeyBlog you’ll know that the original mask mandate was supposed to expire on April 18th. It will now expire on May 3rd.
FILE – In this May 28, 2020, file photo, a passenger wears personal protective equipment on a Delta Airlines flight after landing at Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport in Minneapolis. Federal officials are extending into January a requirement that people on airline flights and public transportation wear face masks to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Transportation Security Administration’s current order was scheduled to expire Sept. 13. An agency spokesman said Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, that the mandate will be extended until Jan. 18. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Though many in Washington were pushing for an end to the 14-month-long mandate the White House press secretary Jen Psaki explained that the extension was due to an increase in COVID-19 cases. According to a piece in Reuters, the TSA advised that they would be following the advice from the Biden administration and extend the mask mandate.
The CDC is currently monitoring the spread of the BA2 subvariant which now makes up more than 85% of US cases. Some trade groups like Airlines for America have called for the administration to end the mandate saying “It makes no sense to require masks on a plane when masks are not recommended in places like restaurants, bars or crowded sports facilities.”
This stance was echoed by Delta Airlines Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian which, according to Reuters is calling for an end to the mandate saying that personal accountability needs to be handed back to the passengers.
Image: OrlandoAirports.net
The US Senate voted to overturn the mask mandate and it continues to be unpopular with some passengers. The Federal Aviation Administration said that since January 2021 over 7,000 unruly passengers incidents have been reported and 70% of those involved mask rules.
Photo: Family Veldman/Getty Images
On the opposite side of the argument, the Transport Workers Union which represents 65,000 airline workers has spoken out in support of the mandate extension but added, “but we cannot ignore that the mask mandate has driven an unprecedented rise in assaults by unruly passengers against airline workers.”
This is a story that we will continue to follow closely. Keep following along with MickeyBlog for further news and updates and if heading to the airport this easter weekend, bring those masks.
Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for further Disney-related news and updates.
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Source: Reuters
