The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday that the federal mask mandate on public transit – including buses, trains and planes – will be extended through at least May 3. The CDC says the extension is needed to assess the impact of a recent rise in COVID-19 cases in the U.S. since early April.
The mask mandate for travelers was set to expire on April 18, but the Transportation Security Administration will now extend the requirement for another 15 days through May 3, the CDC announced.
"I am all for it," Walnut Creek resident Cindy Fassler said while waiting for a County Connection bus.
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"I will do anything to protect myself," she continued. "And I don’t know who’s sitting next to me on public transportation. I don’t know if they’ve been vaccinated or have allergies."
Fassler added she plans to continue wearing a mask while on transit even if the federal mandate is lifted.
Most travelers who spoke with NBC Bay Area Wednesday said they are fine with the extension of the mask mandate for travelers.
"I feel like it's honestly for the best, you know, cause I feel like ever since the mask mandate went down, people were getting careless," said JP Fungula of Walnut Creek, who was headed to a Giants game on BART.
"I think a mask mandate extension is a good thing because I think we haven’t seen the worst yet," said Michael Lambert, who was waiting at the Walnut Creek BART station.
Not everyone was excited about the extension. One Oakland resident who preferred not to be named said when it comes to wearing masks, he feels "over it."
"I know it's bad. I just want a little normalcy. It's been too long," he said.
BART said it will follow whatever guidelines the TSA issues regarding masking.
"We’ve been anticipating the possibility the mandate would expire at some point, so we’ve launched public information campaigns to let our riders know we are cleaner and safer than ever before," BART spokesperson Jim Allison said.
In 2021, BART installed MERV-14 filters throughout its fleet of trains, which Allison said can recirculate air every 70 seconds.
Allison also added that station agent booths at each BART stop should have free masks available for people who forgot to bring theirs.
"I remember the last time I was here a police officer gave me a mask," Fungula said. "It's cool they’re making it really accessible."
The federal mask extension applies for travel on planes as well. An Oakland International Airport spokesperson told NBC Bay Area the airport will comply with the TSA directive "and masks will be required at the airport through May 3, 2022."
