The Biden administration on Thursday extended the requirement for travelers to wear masks on airplanes, trains, buses, subways and other forms of public transportation until April 18.
The mandate, which first was put into place by the administration in early 2021 to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, was set to expire on March 18.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “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.
As of last week, more than 90% of the U.S. population was living in locations with low or medium COVID-19 community levels, where wearing masks is no longer recommended in indoor settings.
A growing number of states have rolled back mandates for people to wear masks indoors and the CDC 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.
• This article includes wire service reports.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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