TSA mask order extended through April 18

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has extended its security directive for mask use through at least April 18, 2022.  The order requires all passengers and crew onboard commercial aircraft, mass transit vehicles, and private carrier over-the-road buses, as well as people inside transportation facilities, to wear a mask or face covering regardless of vaccination status or state and local laws.  The requirement, which was instituted in early 2021, was originally due to expire this week but has been extended for an additional month.  Masks are also required on MTA vehicles and in facilities by NYS Health Department regulations as well as the MTA's rules—these are currently preempted by the TSA order but could remain in effect for longer beyond the expiration of TSA's mandate.  So you will have to keep masks on while riding the LIRR and other transit services around the region for at least another month.

Former LIRR President Phillip Eng hands out masks at a
"Mask Force" photo op at Woodside last year
(Photo: MTA LIRR/Glen Sager)

Not that you'd notice on the LIRR, though.  Mask usage on the railroads has been a consistent problem throughout the pandemic, and has been especially problematic in the months since the fall.  Despite the MTA's claims that the wide majority of riders are wearing masks, these days, at most 60% of riders are wearing masks on the trains that I ride, and at particular times of the day, it's even less than that.

Enforcement has been extreemly sporadic throughout the pandemic, especially from train crews, which make practically zero effort to correct those who are not wearing masks.  The MTA Police have been occasionally patrolling trains, but this appears to be extreemly infrequent (I've seen them once on a train I've ridden in the last two years) and equally ineffective (the officers walking the one train I've been on came upon a group of people drinking and talking—they asked if they had masks for when they were done drinking, and they said yes—the officers walked away, the group never put their masks on, and the officers never came back around the rest of the trip).

How long the mask requirement remains in place is anybody's guess.  The recent CDC guidance continues to treat public transit as a special case, even through there is little evidence that you are more at risk at catching COVID-19 on mass transit than you are in other crowded, congregate settings.  My wild guess is the mandate will be extended once more, and then if case numbers stay low the TSA order will drop the requirements before the height of the summer travel season.