Mask mandate for public transit extended to April 18
3/17/2022, 6 p.m.
Keep those masks on if you want to fly, ride a train or take a GRTC bus in Richmond.
On March 10, the Biden administration extended the mask mandate through Monday, April 18, or an additional month.
The current mask mandate, in place since January 2021, was set to expire Friday, March 18.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Transportation Security Administration agreed to the extension, even though mask mandates have expired to shop, go to the movies or attend schools.
Dr. Graham Snyder, an expert on preventing the spread of disease, said the extension for public transport made sense. Planes, trains, buses and subways are “designed to efficiently put a lot of people in one place, and that increases the risk of disease spread,” he stated.
Those who flout the mandate, particularly on flights, can be hit with fines of $1,000 for first-time offenses and up to $3,000 for repeat offenders, according to the TSA.
