U.S. officials extended a mask mandate for travelers along with the formal Covid-19 public health emergency declaration, a pair of moves that signal the pandemic’s staying power as the country grapples with an uptick of cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that it would extend a rule requiring masks on planes and trains for another 15 days, to May 3, to assess the impact of the omicron’s BA.2 subvariant that’s fueling a modest rise in infections.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra will extend the pandemic emergency by another 90 days, prolonging special measures and powers to fight the outbreak, according to a separate statement.
U.S. authorities said they want to monitor cases and hospitalizations driven by BA.2, even as mayors and governors across the country have done away with regional and local restrictions. President Joe Biden’s administration has encouraged Americans to return to normal life, while also warning it needs more money from Congress to order new vaccines and treatments.
Travel Rule
“In order to assess the potential impact the rise of cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and health-care system capacity, the CDC order will remain in place at this time,” the agency said in a statement. BA.2 accounts for about 85% of U.S. cases, according to the statement.
The Associated Press earlier reported the move.
About 30,000 new Covid cases a day are being recorded in the U.S., most of them caused by omicron’s BA.2 subvariant, and the figure has been increasing. Experts say it’s likely to be an underestimate, as more people are using at-home tests that aren’t captured in national data.
The travel masking rule, previously due to expire after April 18, has been strictly enforced even as cities, states and the CDC have eased their requirements and recommendations. New White House Covid response coordinator Ashish Jha said Monday on NBC’s “Today” show that the CDC is preparing a scientific framework to help determine the future of the travel mandate, which now runs until at least May 3.
Airlines see the mask rule as a hindrance that puts their staff in an enforcement role and have been pushing the administration to end it. However, as Covid case numbers rise in some parts of the U.S., mask mandates have crept back. Philadelphia said it will reinstate its mask rule starting April 18.
Airlines for America, an industry lobby group, called on Becerra and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to stop requiring masks and pre-departure testing for international travel. The administration has said it isn’t considering lifting the testing rule at this time.
Even with the mandate in place, bookings have been recovering for air travel, with Delta Air Lines Inc. projecting a robust summer season, lifting stocks across the industry on Wednesday.