Until September, the use of masks will be mandatory on all public transportation in the United States

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that it has extended until September 13 its orders requiring the use of masks in transportation, including airports, commercial planes, buses and trains.

TSA officials said the mask requirement extension is in line with updated Center for Disease Control policies. The TSA requirement expired on May 11.

“Federal requirement for masks throughout the transportation system aims to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation.”Darby LaJoye, a senior TSA official, said in a statement. “About half of adults have been vaccinated at least once and masks remain an important tool in beating this pandemic.”

Children under 2 years of age and people with certain disabilities are exempt from the obligation to wear a mask, but others could face penalties if they refuse to comply. In accordance with TSA regulations, penalties for non-compliance start at $ 250 and increase to $ 1,500 for repeat offenders.

The Trump administration had rejected calls to force masks on planes, with the Transportation Department saying in October “there shouldn’t be more regulations than necessary.” But some travelers have refused to follow mandatory use rules issued by airlines, sometimes responding with derision or hostility to flight attendants who said they needed federal support to help them enforce the law. in an area that has become highly politicized.

President Biden has issued a federal mandate to wear masks on transportation on his first full day in office. The TSA’s action on Friday expands the security guidelines it put in place to enforce the masks in the transport warrant, which went into effect on February 1..

“We have gone to great lengths to control the pandemic, but we have not yet reached that point,” said Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. “Maintaining the TSA’s enforcement directive for the mask warrant will ensure the safety of passengers and aviation workers.”

According to the order, lPeople must wear masks “when embarking, disembarking and traveling by any means of transportation to or within the United States”, as well as “at any transportation hub providing transportation within the United States”.

The ordinance specifies that the operators “must do everything possible” to guarantee the use of masks, including “at the first opportunity, disembark anyone who refuses to comply”. He says compliance will be managed by the TSA and “by other federal authorities and may be enforced by cooperating state and local authorities.”

The CDC updated its mask guidelines this week to say that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear them outside unless they are in crowded places. The TSA requirement released on Friday applies to both passengers and transport workers, “including those who are already vaccinated.”

“We will continue to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess the need for these guidelines,” LaJoye said.

The CDC mask mandate for transport, which originally defined the requirement, does not include an end date, and the TSA may further expand the transport enforcement guidelines. The mandate “will remain in effect unless it is modified or canceled on the basis of specific public health or other considerations”, or when the Secretary of Health and Human Services determines that a health emergency. public no longer exists, in accordance with the order of the CDC.

Detailed rules and practices emerged during the three months of the federal mask mandate being put in place.

The Department of Transportation cited CDC guidelines to answer questions from workers and others most affected by the mandate. Among the questions posed by officials: “What should transport agencies do when drivers wearing glasses report that they are having difficulty wearing masks because their glasses fog up?” The ministry noted that the CDC recommends wearing a mask “that fits snugly over the nose or has a nasal thread to help reduce fogging,” or trying an anti-fog spray on the glasses. And he said transport companies should “work with the drivers on the fit of the masks” to reduce fogging.

“In certain circumstances, when this problem cannot be resolved, the CDC order provides for exemptions to ensure workplace safety and the safe operation of the public transport vehicle,” the ministry said.

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