The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) announced that they will continue the requirement to wear masks on airplanes and other forms of transportation at least through September 13th. 

The mask-wearing mandate, put into effect to help quell the spread of COVID-19, was set to expire on May 11th.

Saying that masks “remain an important tool in defeating this pandemic,” TSA administrator Darby LaJoye said that it is important to keep the requirement in place despite approximately half of US adults having already been vaccinated against coronavirus.

The rules will remain the same – everyone besides people under 2 years of age or with special exemptions due to disabilities will have to wear a mask while on planes, trains, buses, and boats.

Penalties for non-compliance start at $250 and can go as his $1,500 for repeat offenders.

The move to extend the masking requirement comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new travel guidance for vaccinated people, saying it is safe for them to go on planes but that they should still wear masks and maintain social distancing.