President Joe Biden is facing criticism of his administration’s decision to extend a mask mandate for public transportation.
CNN reported on Thursday that the administration will extend the public transportation mandate, which applies to air travel, trains, and buses, for 30 days.
The mandate was set to expire on March 18.
An administration official told the network that during the extension of the mandate, “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.”
“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 official added.
CNN noted, “The CDC may ultimately allow the mandate to lift before the 30-day period is up if transmission rates of the virus nationwide drop to low enough levels.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) reacted to the news by tweeting a picture of Biden, maskless, standing near Democrats after his State of the Union address and wrote, “Biden is requiring masks for two-year-old kids on planes, but no masks for high-risk Democratic politicians.”
Biden is requiring masks for two-year-old kids on planes, but no masks for high-risk Democratic politicians. https://t.co/xocKU22fBl pic.twitter.com/DbWXKZgQjE
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) March 10, 2022
And Nathan Brand, a deputy communication director for the Republican National Committee, tweeted, “Well this is stupid.”
Well this is stupid https://t.co/NXjSbcLjfN
— Nathan Brand (@NathanBrandWA) March 10, 2022
Check out some of the reactions below:
Insane. Joe Biden let people go maskless to his own State of the Union but still wants you to wear a mask on an airplane. Makes no sense. https://t.co/G9iRZjxBLj
— Mike Rogers (@RepMikeRogersAL) March 10, 2022
What is the "science" behind extending the transportation mask mandate ….maybe unions know? https://t.co/OgVtE4Xcai
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) March 10, 2022
This is *miserable* news for parents. It’s a struggle to get my toddler to wear pants. A mask in a nonstarter for a critter that barely speaks English. https://t.co/pPZdNcVyIQ
— Sarah Isgur (@whignewtons) March 10, 2022
This is so dumb https://t.co/XpCYFAMxwa
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 10, 2022
I would love to hear Fauci explain the science behind this, but that would require him crawling out of the cave he's been hiding in for the last three months https://t.co/5WHwS0XZ2Q
— Cabot Phillips (@cabot_phillips) March 10, 2022
Another month of forcing 2 year olds to mask – the only country in the world doing so – for no scientific reason whatsoever. https://t.co/jTfh1sc0lQ
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) March 10, 2022
Just enough to get into the spring wave and then extend it again. This guy is a maniac. https://t.co/pbIj8TNVif
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) March 10, 2022
ScIeNcE strikes again! 🤡🌎 https://t.co/y2BT8uTeiq
— Young Americans for Liberty (@YALiberty) March 10, 2022
During a Senate hearing in Dec. 2021, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly testified that masks do not limit exposure to COVID-19.
“I think the case is very strong that masks don’t add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment. It is very safe and very high quality compared to any other indoor setting,” Kelly said.
Meanwhile, Parker added, “An aircraft is the safest place you can be. It’s true of all of our aircraft — they all have the same HEPA filters and air flow.”