Travelers head to the airport wearing masks.Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty
TheTransportation Security Administration (TSA)has announced an update to its mask mandate.
On Thursday, the organization shared in apress releasethat it would be extending its rules for mask usage on public transportation and transportation hubs through April 18. The federal mandate was set to expire Friday, March 18.
The TSA said in its statement that the decision was made in conjunction with a recommendation from theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It noted that it 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.”
Any new decisions, the TSA said, “will be based on theCOVID-19community levels, risk of new variants, national data, and the latest science.”
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Passengers wear masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus as they arrive at the Los Angeles International Airport,, on January 22, 2020.MARK RALSTON/Getty Images
“We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when our levels are low and then have the ability to reach for them again,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a press briefing in February. “Should things get worse in the future, we, as the CDC, will continue to follow the science and epidemiology to make public health recommendations and guidance.”
States and localities are able tocontinue mandating masks in public spaces. The CDC’s guidance, though, can change if another variant emerges or if case rates go back up again.
“COVID-19 community levels and public health prevention strategies can be dialed up when our communities are experiencing more severe disease and dialed down when things are more stable,” Dr. Greta Massetti, from the CDC’s COVID-19 Response Incident Management Team, said.
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source: people.com
