The Transportation Security Administration will extend its requirement that passengers wear masks on all airplane flights as well as public transportation, including buses, trains and transit hubs, through May 3.
The order was set to expire on April 18.
The TSA’s decision was a foregone conclusion after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was extending its mask requirement to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant.
The BA.2 subvariant is now responsible for more than 85% of U.S. cases.
“In order to assess the potential impact the rise in 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.
During the extra 15 days the mask requirement remains in place, the CDC said it will continue monitoring the spread of the omicron covid-19 variant, especially the BA.2 subvariant.
Since early April, there have been increases in the seven-day moving average of covid-19 cases in the U.S.
The CDC said last month it had been hoping to roll out a more flexible masking strategy that would have replaced the nationwide requirement.
