TSA widens mask rule to Jan. 18 as cases climb

Federal officials extended into January a requirement that people on airline flights and public transportation wear face masks, a rule intended to limit the spread of COVID19.

The Transportation Security Administration’s current order was scheduled to expire Sept. 13.

An agency spokesman said this week that the mandate will be extended until Jan. 18.

The TSA briefed airline industry representatives on its plan Tuesday and planned to discuss it with airline unions.

The mask rule also applies to employees on planes and public transportation.

The mask mandate has been controversial and has led to many encounters between passengers who don’t want to wear a mask and flight attendants asked to enforce the rule.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that airlines have reported 3,889 incidents involving unruly passengers this year, and 2,867 — or 74% — involved refusing to wear a mask.

The largest union of flight attendants said the move will help keep passengers and aviation workers safe.

“We have a responsibility in aviation to keep everyone safe and do our part to end the pandemic, rather than aid the continuation of it,” said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants. “We all look forward to the day masks are no longer required, but we’re not there yet.”

The mask order, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, was first issued Jan. 29, days after President Joe Biden took office. Before that, airlines had their own requirements, but former President Donald Trump’s administration had declined to make it a federal rule.