The Transportation Security Administration is extending yet again the mandate that travelers in all transportation networks in the United States must wear face coverings. The mandate first went into effect on Feb. 1 and was to expire on May 11, and then on Sept. 13.
An agency spokesman said Tuesday that the mandate will now extend until Jan. 18.
The mandate applies to all airports, commercial aircraft, buses, and rail systems.
Prior to the federal rule, most airlines had already implemented their own face mask requirements. The Trump Administration had held off making it a federal mandate, but the travel mask mandate was among the first requirements of the new Biden Administration.
Industry representatives were briefed by the TSA on Tuesday and the extended rule is to be shared with the airline unions on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration reported 3,889 incidents involving unruly airline passengers this year. 74 percent of them — 2,867 — involved passengers’ refusal to wear a mask as directed by crew.
Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines is set to require all of its employees to get the Covid-19 vaccination as a condition of employment, after the death of three airline employees from Covid-19. All three were unvaccinated.
