By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2012 (Reuters) – The deadline for the Biden administration to decide whether or not to renew or terminate a mandate that required travelers to use masks in public places such as trains and airplanes is April 18.

Republican lawmakers and representatives of industry want the White House’s 14-month-old mask ban to be lifted. It comes amid an increase in COVID-19-related cases, including many U.S. officials attending a white-tie dinner held in Washington.

Ashish Jha, the new White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, told NBC News Monday that Rochelle Walensky (CDC Director) will determine whether or not to extend her mandate.

I know that the CDC is currently working to develop a scientific framework. Jha indicated that we will see the framework in the next few hours and said that extending the mandate was “absolutely possible”.

Although the CDC did not respond immediately to a comment request, it said that in February, almost all Americans live in areas where masks are not required.

In a Monday letter sent to Jha, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and airlines reiterated their call for an end to the mask mandate.

The letter stated that “the science supports lifting the mask requirement, especially in light of recent CDC guidance which has found that indoor masks are unnecessary for the vast majority of Americans.”

Last month, the U.S. Senate voted 57-40 to reverse the public order requiring the use of masks in public transportation. This was despite President Joe Biden’s threat to veto.

U.S. aircraft have experienced significant friction because of the mask requirements. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, since January 2021 there has been an unprecedented 7,060 passenger incidents. 70% of these were related to masking rules.

International visitors are required to pass a COVID-19 negative test within one day. This is a move that the administration has been considering as many other countries have abandoned these testing requirements. Foreign air passengers must be immunized by the administration.