A dwindling number of places are requiring masks as the U.S. inches towards normalcy — with airplanes, trains and buses the notable holdouts.
The big picture: The TSA's mask mandate stands in stark contrast to virtually every other venue across the U.S., where masks have largely been nixed.
- Governors, including from blue states, have lifted masking in public spaces as lawmakers tout that the pandemic has entered an "endemic phase."
- School districts — including the most hesitant — have largely abandoned masking requirements.
- And Hawaii, the last U.S. state with a statewide mandate, announced that it is ending its mask mandate later this month.
Zoom in: The Transportation Security Administration last week extended its mask mandate that was originally set to expire on March 18 for another month.
- "During that time, CDC will work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor," the TSA said in a statement.
Medical experts advocate for continued masking on public transportation, specifically air travel, to reduce broader community transmission. ...
- One person wearing a masks reduces the likelihood of getting COVID-19 by about 50%, Leonard J. Marcus, director of the Aviation Public Health Initiative at Harvard University said, adding that the chance of transmitting also decreases by about 50%.
- "If you put that together – so you’ve got a lot of people on an aeroplane, everybody’s wearing a mask – you’ve done something, in combination with the ventilation