Biden Administration to Extend Airline Mask Mandate Through Mid-January

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The Biden administration is reportedly preparing to extend mask mandates in airports and other areas under the Transportation Department’s purview through mid-January.

The extension will prolong masking requirements beyond a Sept. 13 expiration date set earlier this year, sources familiar with the issue told CNBC on Tuesday. It comes after administration officials spent much of the year defending the mandates in the face of public discontent. Critics have pointed out that nearly 60 percent of Americans have received at least one dose of the three Covid-19 vaccines on the market, and cited guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance rolling back similar masking requirements in most public settings for those who have been vaccinated.

Asked about the issue in a June interview with ABC News’ Martha Raddatz, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called masking during air travel a “matter of respect.”

“Some of the differences [compared to CDC guidelines] have to do with the physical space,” Buttigieg said at the time. “Some of them have to do with it being a workplace wherein some of these transit and travel situations people don’t have a choice. It’s a matter of safety, but it’s also a matter of respect.”

Airline personnel have submitted 3,889 reports about unruly passengers to the Federal Aviation Administration to date this year, with a little more than 73 percent related to mask mandates.