The mask was due to expire on April 18, but the Biden government will maintain the requirement for another 15 days amid rising cases due to the new BA.2 subcategory of the Omicron variant, which is more than 85% of infections in the US. “In order to assess the potential impact of the increase in cases of serious illness, including hospitalization and death, and the capacity of the healthcare system, the CDC mandate will remain in force at this time,” the CDC said in a statement. . The decision to keep the mandate until early May comes as Republican lawmakers and executives from the country’s top airlines pushed the Biden administration to lift coverage requirements after a sharp drop in cases by mid-January. However, the new strain of the Omicron strain has led to a slight increase in reported infections since early April, leading to cases in northeastern and parts of Florida. However, most of the country has low levels of COVID-19 community, according to the CDC. Levels are determined by examining the percentage of hospital beds used by COVID-19 patients, the percentage of new hospital admissions, and the percentage of new cases in the community. However, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration, told Face the Nation on Sunday that the nation was likely to “dramatically count cases” with many Americans taking COVID-19 tests at home. the results of which are mostly not reported to public health bodies. The White House coordinator for COVID-19, Dr. Ashish Jha said Monday that the extension of the travel mask mandate was “on the table”, even as states lift indoor mask requirements following the fall of new infections after peaking in mid-January. Airlines began requiring passengers to wear face masks in 2020, and the CDC issued the federal public transportation requirement in January 2021 following the inauguration of President Biden. But the order for the planes was a source of conflict and the flight attendants were left to enforce it. Airlines have reported 1,150 incidents of unruly passengers so far this year, 744 of which are related to face masks, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. More Ed O’Keefe Ed O’Keefe is a White House Chief of Staff and political correspondent for CBS News based in Washington, DC