The Biden Administration has announced it will extend the requirement that face masks to be worn on airplanes, passenger trains and public transportation through March 18, 2022.
The extension of the mask requirement on transportation is part of the administration’s plans to combat two variants of COVID-19, Delta and the newly discovered Omicron. The Delta variant became the dominate variant in the U.S. this summer and Omicron has emerged with the label from the World Health Organization as a “variant of concern.”
This is the third extension of the mask requirement for certain modes of transportation. The rule first went into effect on Feb. 1, 2021, and was set to expire on May 11 before being extended to September 2021, then January 2022 and now March 18, 2022.
In a statement outlining the administration’s plans to fight the pandemic this winter, the White House said fines would continue to be double for those found to be in noncompliance with the masking requirements. The minimum fine is $500 and can raise up to $3,000 for repeat offenders.
Following the administration's announcement the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued a statement that said "TSA in conjunction with the CDC, will extend the face mask requirement for individuals across all transportation networks throughout the United States, including at airports, onboard commercial aircraft, on over-the-road buses, and on commuter bus and rail systems through March 18, 2022."
TSA had not yet updated the dates of its current security directive for those transportation modes impacted by the extended mask rule; this story will be updated when the directive is published.
