TSA says flyers will have to wear masks on planes and in airports for another month
The federal government extended its mask mandate on public transit for another month, even as COVID-19 cases drop precipitously around the country.
The mask mandate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention covers all forms of public transit, including buses, planes and transit hubs such as airports. It has been in place for more than a year and now lasts until April 18. The mandate had been set to expire next week on March 18.
Over the next month, “CDC 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,” the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement announcing the extension.
Public transit is one of the last places in South Carolina where masks are still required. The state largely left mask rules up to local governments during the pandemic, and most cities and counties ditched them last year.
“We are prepared and ready for a busy spring, and are doing our part to ensure the traveling public is safe and secure by continuing to deploy new technologies within the checkpoint,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement.
Last week, the CDC said masking while indoors in public is no longer recommended in 90% of the country, including much of South Carolina. However, health experts advise against ditching masks completely. Keep them just in case cases rise again, as they have several times in the past after periods of decline.
On March 7, the World Health Organization said “the virus continues to evolve and the risk of future emergence of variants is high.”
Public transit is one of the few places where masking is still required because people are more likely to be exposed in close quarters to others outside their household more so than almost anywhere else, health officials have said.
The mask mandate extension for transit comes as much of South Carolina and the country are either in the middle of, or getting ready for, spring break travel.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported just 150 new COVID-19 cases across South Carolina Thursday. Less than 5% of COVID-19 tests are coming back positive. The CDC has said 5% or lower means there is a low level of community spread.
Nearly 54% of South Carolinians eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and about 62% have received at least one dose, health officials say.
The only people exempt from the public transit mask mandate are children under 2 and those with certain disabilities.
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 12:49 PM with the headline "TSA says flyers will have to wear masks on planes and in airports for another month."
