U.S. Extends Mask Mandates For Air Travel
The United States government has extended the nationwide mask mandate for public forms of transportation as it monitors reports of a surge in coronavirus cases.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it would extend the order that was set to expire on April 18, citing the need to
“monitor for any observable increase in severe virus outcomes as cases rise in parts of the country.”
Travellers will need to mask up on planes, trains and buses through at least 3 May.
The CDC said the move was “made out of an abundance of caution,” and the authorities are still working on a more flexible masking strategy to replace the nationwide requirement.
Aeroplanes and public transportation are some of the last places where Americans are still required to wear masks.
Most states have lifted their requirements for schools and other public places, and the CDC’s new guidelines say that masks aren’t necessary in areas with a low risk for transmission.
CDC Changes Travel Health Notice
The CDC revealed its Travel Health Notice system for international destinations would be revamped.
The new system will reserve Level 4 travel health notices for special circumstances, such as rapidly escalating case trajectory or extremely high case counts, emergence of a new variant of concern or healthcare infrastructure collapse.
Levels 3, 2, and 1 will continue to be primarily determined by 28-day incidence or case counts.
The system will go into effect on 18 April.
With this new configuration, travellers will have a more actionable alert for when they should not travel to a certain destination.
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