Planes, Trains, Automobiles and Masks

Masks will be required on airplanes, trains, buses, and other public transport until at least May 3, the TSA and US health officials said yesterday. The existing mandate was set to expire on Monday.

🦠📈 Driving (and flying) the move… Per the CDC, the extension was prompted by rising Covid cases and would "give it time to assess the potential impact of the rise of cases on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and healthcare system capacity."

• The latest uptick in cases has been spurred by the omicron BA.2 variant, which now accounts for ~85% of new infections across the country.
• Preliminary research shows this new variant is slightly more transmissible than the previous dominant omicron strain (BA.1), but there’s no evidence that it results in more severe outcomes.

✈️ Zoom out: Chief executives of 10 major airlines and cargo carriers wrote to President Biden last month encouraging him to drop the requirement, arguing it’s no longer necessary and inconsistent with the latest guidance, and that the burden of enforcing it is putting a strain on employees. 21 states have also filed a lawsuit to block the mandate.

• The FAA has reported a rise in unruly passenger incidents since 2020, ~70% of which involved masking rules.

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