CDC to Extend Federal Mask Mandate by Two Weeks, Report Says – CNET [CNET]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to extend the federal mask requirement for public transit by two week, according to a report Wednesday from the Associated Press.

The federal mandate, which is currently set to expire on April 18, requires travelers to wear masks on buses, subways, trains, ferries and other forms of public transit. The original order from the CDC has been in effect since Feb. 1, 2021, and has been extended multiple times.

The CDC plans to extend the mandate in order to monitor for a possible increase “in severe virus outcomes as cases rise in parts of the country,” reported the AP, citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter. 

Several states and other organizations have been pushing back on the mask mandate for transit. The Federal Aviation Administration has also seen a spike in unruly passengers cases on planes, with more than 4,290 mask-related incidents reported in 2021. 

Earlier this week, the new White House COVID czar Ashish Jha suggested the government might extend the mandate. 

“This is a CDC decision and I think it is absolutely on the table,” JHA told NBC’s Today show on Monday. He added that CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, “is going to make her decision based on the framework that the CDC scientists create, and we’ll make a decision collectively based on that.”

The CDC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.