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Biden administration to extend transportation mask mandate for 15 more days

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Travelers wait in line at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening checkpoint at Orlando International Airport on the Friday before Memorial Day. As more and more people have received the COVID-19 vaccine, American Automobile Association (AAA) is predicting more than 37 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles this Memorial Day weekend, many for the first time since the pandemic began.

Paul Hennessy | LightRocket | Getty Images

The Biden administration will extend the mask mandate for airplanes and transit for 15 days, according to people familiar with the matter.

The mandate was set to expire after April 18, following a one-month extension in March. Airlines have required masks on planes since early in the pandemic in 2020, but the Biden administration made them mandatory in early 2021.

Airlines have repeatedly asked the administration to drop that requirement as well as other Covid restrictions such as predeparture testing for all international arrivals, including citizens.

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This article was originally published on CNBC