Masks on planes stay
Why the mandate was extended
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The airlines are ready for passengers to take off their masks, but the carriers will have to wait longer. The mask mandate for airports and aircraft was set to expire tomorrow. Instead, the requirement was extended for all public transportation as scientists track the latest variant of COVID-19.
Officially, the Centers for Disease Control pointed out that 85% of COVID-19 cases in the US are now from the BA.2 variant. The number of cases has grown since earlier this month, so the “Mask Order,” “remains in effect while CDC assesses the potential impact of the rise of cases on severe disease,” through May 3, 2022.
TWO MORE WEEKS OF DATA
As the new White House COVID-19 Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha told ABC News, the CDC wants more data on the spreading variant. Fifteen days of information, he says, will allow CDC to make a, “much more data driven decision.”
White House Covid Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha explains the reasoning behind the extension of the mask mandate for public transporation. (Credit: ABC News)
The airlines have been loudly signaling that they think, “it’s time to let the masks go.” That quote is from the CEO of Delta Ed Bastian, who told CNBC, “I feel very strongly the mask mandate should be lifted. Let individuals, including our own employees, make their own decisions and take personal accountability for their health.”
Delta CEO Ed Bastian says, "it is time to let the masks go." (Credit: CNBC)
All the CEOs of the major airlines sent a letter to President Biden in late March, saying, “COVID-19 need no longer control our lives.” They called on the President to end international pre-departure testing and the mask mandate in the US.
"IT MAKES NO SENSE"
“It makes no sense that people are still required to wear masks on airplanes, yet are allowed to congregate in crowded restaurants, schools and at sporting events without masks,” the letter said. The CEOs highlighted their assertion that because of filters and airflow, a jetliner, “is one of the safest indoor environments.”
As the CDC was preparing the extension, the head of the Airline Association (A4A) sent his own letter to the administration, pointing out one of the biggest concerns of the airlines. The mask mandate has led to a two-year jump in unruly passenger cases. “The burden of enforcing these requirements has fallen on airline employees,” Nick Calio wrote, adding that enforcement has created, “challenging situations with frustrated passengers.”
UNRULY PASSENGER REPORTS
FAA graph of the number of investigations launch for unruly passenger reports. (Credit: FAA)
Just since the beginning of this year the Federal Aviation Administration says there have been 1,150 reports of unruly passengers through April 12. Nearly three quarters of those cases (744) have involved mask enforcement. The FAA says it is attempting to impose penalties in 169 cases.
EXTENSION JUSTIFIED?
Is the extension of the mask mandate justified? I talked to Dr. Jeremy Faust, a fellow bulletin writer, who has been following the pandemic closely. “It makes a great deal of sense,” to extend, he says, but his reasoning is different from the CDC’s. Dr. Faust points out, “we are weeks away, probably a month away at most, from a vaccine for all.” That would mean children could be vaccinated. The father of a four-year-old says while, “the air in a plane is actually quite good… the real question is kids who can’t wear a mask, toddlers, babies, would you expose them on a plane?”
It’s a question parents will have to answer in early May. There will be more data for CDC scientists. Without a significant sign of serious disease, the mask mandate appears to be close to its end.
(Cover photo credit: Getty Images/SOPA Images)