Biden Administration Extending Mask Mandate for 15 days: CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that the Biden Administration is extending a mask mandate for aeroplanes and transit for 15 days.

The mandate was scheduled to expire after April 18th, after a one-month extension was announced in March. Airlines have required masks on planes since the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020, but the Biden Administration mandated them in early 2021.

The CDC has said that it is monitoring the omicron cases and the spread of BA.2 subvariant as well. Last month CDC also said that it is working with other government agencies to determine when and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor. 

Airlines have repeatedly urged governments to remove this requirement and other Covid restrictions, such as pre-departure testing, for all international arrivals, including citizens.

However, the extension of the mask ban has been shortened as the government is considering the risks of the Covid pandemic. The decrease in cases from the peak of this winter helped boost the demand for travel enough to help airlines meet many of their soaring fuel costs.