TSA will extend mask mandate on planes and public transportation to April 18

The TSA's mask requirement for public transportation won't be ending for at least another month.

The Transportation Security Administration will extend the current mask mandate for planes and public transportation until April 18, CNN and NBC News report. The mandate was set to expire on March 18.

The TSA most recently extended the mask mandate, which applies to planes, trains, buses, and transportation hubs, in August 2021. It was implemented in January 2021 following an executive order signed by President Biden.

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The CDC confirmed the news, saying it recommended the mandate be extended until April 18.

"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 CDC said. "This revised framework will be based on the COVID-19 community levels, risk of new variants, national data, and the latest science. We will communicate any updates publicly if and/or when they change."

The decision to extend the mandate again comes as states lift their indoor mask mandates and after the CDC announced that about 70 percent of Americans no longer need to wear masks indoors. The agency cited declining COVID-19 cases and the prevalence of vaccines in that decision, issuing new guidelines breaking down each U.S. county into areas of low, medium, or high risk. Wearing masks in indoor public spaces was only recommended in the "high" areas, which applied to about 28 percent of Americans.