TSA To Extend Mask Mandate For Planes, Public Transportation Until April 18

The Transportation Security Administration is set to extend the federal mask mandate on public transportation and planes for another month. The mandate was set to expire next week but will now be in effect until April 18.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will work with other federal agencies to determine the criteria for lifting the mandate.

"During that time, 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," a government official told CNN. "This revised framework will be based on the Covid-19 community levels, risk of new variants, national data, and the latest science. We will communicate any updates publicly if and/or when they change."

The decision to keep the mandate in place was made despite Republican lawmakers calling to let it expire on March 18.

"Given travel's slow economic recovery, and in light of the improved public health metrics in the U.S. and medical advancements to prevent the worst outcomes of COVID-19, we encourage the Administration to immediately remove travel requirements that no longer fit with the current environment and to set clear timelines and metrics for when others will be lifted," 92 Republicans wrote in a letter to TSA Administrator David Pekoske, according to Fox News.

"It is past time that we follow the science and allow Americans to return to normalcy."