U.S. officials extended a mask mandate for travelers along with the formal Covid-19 public health emergency declaration, a pair of moves that signal the pandemic’s staying power as the country grapples with an uptick of cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that it would extend a rule requiring masks on planes and trains for another 15 days, to May 3, to assess the impact of the omicron BA.2 subvariant that’s fueling a modest rise in infections. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra will extend the pandemic emergency by another 90 days, prolonging special measures and powers to fight the outbreak, according to a separate statement.
