CDC Could ‘Absolutely’ Extend Public Transit Mask Mandate Amid Rising COVID-19 Omicron Cases

The mask mandate for public transit is set to expire next week, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could extend the order amid the rise in COVID-19 Omicron subvariant cases.

On Monday, Ashish Jha, White House COVID-19 response coordinator, revealed the CDC will influence whether the federal mask mandate for airports, buses, trains, planes, and transit hubs Is extended.

“This is a CDC decision, and I think it is absolutely on the table,” Jha said during an appearance on the “Today” show.

Jha went on to reveal that the director of the CDC, Dr. Rachel Walensky, “is going to make her decision based on the framework that the CDC scientists create, and we’ll make a decision collectively based on that.”

The mask mandate, which is set to expire on April 18, was first put in place in February 2021 and has been extended several times due to the persistence of the pandemic.

“I know the CDC is working on developing a scientific framework for how to answer that,” Jha said of the possible extension. “We’re going to see that framework come out, I think, in the next few days.”

Comments about potentially extending the mask mandate for public transit com as the BA.2 Omicron subvariant is fueling cases in several states, including New York, Arizona, and Nebraska.

Over the last two weeks, the U.S. has reportedly experienced an almost 6% increase in Covid cases. Meanwhile, the Omicron subvariant was to blame for an estimated 72% of cases in America last week.

Despite the growing number of cases, Jha admitted he wasn’t “overly concerned” by the recent increase in infections.

“The good news is we’re coming off of some very low infection numbers. Hospitalizations right now are the lowest they have been in the entire pandemic,” he explained.

“So we’ve got to watch this very carefully ... But I don’t think this is a moment where we have to be excessively concerned.”