The requirement to wear a mask on planes, airports and buses and trains has been in place for 14 months under the Biden government, including several extensions, but expires on Monday. However, with the possibility of a new coronavirus growth being fed by the BA.2 variant, the White House is facing questions about whether it should be extended again. The White House Coordinator for COVID-19, Ashish Jha, said this week that the extension was being considered “absolutely” and that the decision was ultimately up to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC, according to Jha, is developing a scientific framework to carry out the call, which will be available in the “coming days”. “It’s a decision made by the CDC, so they will make that decision,” Biden spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Monday. “And I do not know that a decision has been made at this point.” There has been an increase in COVID-19 cases in several states as the highly contagious micron variant, BA.2, has spread. However, the White House has stated that it is not overly concerned about the variant due to the low hospitalization numbers associated with recent cases. “On the one hand, yes, we are seeing an increase in cases in some parts of the US and BA.2 is a highly contagious sub-variable. “On the other hand, hospitalizations are at an all-time low and one might reasonably ask, what is the measurement to decide when this order will be lifted or will it always be there?” said Leana Wen, a professor of public health at George Washington University. The Transportation Safety Authority (TSA) mandate was last extended for just one month, eight days before it expired on March 18. This extension was the smallest so far. Prior to that, it was extended in December amid an increase in cases due to the initial omicron variant. Chris Beyrer, professor of public health and human rights at Desmond M. Tutu at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says he recommends extending the mask’s mandate until July 1 based on the delta trajectory in the fall. People affected by the delta have experienced some level of protection as a result, but that natural immunity could be weakened by June, he said. Also, he said, travel is accelerating for children around the end of the school year. “We just have to be careful that with the hot weather and the family trips and the holiday trips and the end of school, a lot more kids will travel and we still don’t have approved vaccinations for the under 5 age group,” Beyrer said. Biden signed an executive order on his first day in office, urging federal agencies to “take immediate action” to impose masks on trains, intercity buses, ferries and airports. Its initial expiration was set last May. Prior to that, many major US airlines had asked travelers to wear masks on flights, but this was not required by the government. Beyrer said that while vaccination and reinforcement help with BA.2, gun shooting rates in the United States are not enough to protect Americans. “We are still in a more vulnerable position than we should be, and therefore I think we need to be careful about the increase in BA.2 cases and now is not the time to remove that mandate,” he said. “The fact is that it will be very difficult to pick it up and then bring it back in a few weeks, if we find ourselves in a BA.2 wave.” Only about 30 percent of Americans have received their first booster vaccine, and the administration last month approved a second booster vaccine for people age 50 and older. Beyrer pointed out the nature of travel to argue for mask retention, compared to non-mask in restaurants or shops. “One of the things we are always worried about from an epidemiological point of view is population involvement,” he said. “What is different from going to your local supermarket or pharmacy or restaurant in your neighborhood is that the decision on whether coverage is required or not is based on local transmission data. “Once you get to a big airport, you are no longer in a local environment, you are in a national and international environment.” The city of Philadelphia on Monday reinstated its indoor mask order as COVID-19 cases have increased, but no state currently has such a mandate. Neither Washington DC nor the White House has held major events in recent weeks that do not require attendees to cover. DC has also recently experienced a rash of high-profile cases, such as Psaki, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) And Attorney General Merrick Garland. More than 70 people tested positive after the high-profile Gridiron Dinner two weeks ago. If the travel mask mandate expires, Wen said there are other ways to keep airline passengers safe while traveling, such as requiring a mask for boarding and disembarking. “A simple cloth mask does not do much at all. “So right now, in places that just require face coverage of any kind, and that includes airplanes, there’s a lot of ineffective coverage going on,” Wen said. “The one-way mask with a high quality mask is very effective in preventing infection. “People who want to continue to protect themselves, even if no mask is required, must wear an N9-5 mask or equivalent mask.” The Biden government could face strong reactions if it extends its term. Republicans in Congress have been calling for his removal for months, and last month eight Senate Democrats joined the GOP in a move to remove the mandate. Twenty-one states also sued the administration late last month in a bid to lift the travel mask mandate, arguing that the administration has shown contempt for the limits of its power over COVID-19 restrictions. Plus, the business community is ready to go. Major industry groups, including the US Chamber of Commerce, Airlines for America, the U.S. Travel Association and the American Hotel and Accommodation Association, wrote a letter to Ja on Friday, arguing that air travel mask requirements could be lifted. “Science clearly supports the removal of the mask mandate, especially in the context of the recent CDC Ongoing manhunt for gunman who shot 10 in the Brooklyn subway WHO: COVID cases and deaths drop for 3rd consecutive week “guidance, which found that the vast majority of the US population no longer needs to wear masks indoors,” the groups wrote. They added that enforcing these requirements had fallen on airline staff over the past two years and sometimes led to “provocative situations with frustrated passengers”. Following the latest extension last month, the CEOs of major US airlines wrote a letter to Biden withdrawing federal transfer mask orders along with the requirement of international pre-departure tests, arguing that the restrictions “no longer align with the epidemiological environment. “
