As the first U.S. case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant was detected in California, the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden has extended its mask mandate for all travelers on airplanes, trains and buses as well as in airports and train stations through March.
A formal announcement from the Biden administration about the extension of the mask mandate is expected on Thursday, Reuters reported.
If so, the extension will occur just one day after the confirmation of the first-known U.S. case of a person with the Omicron variant. The person was a fully vaccinated individual in California who traveled to South Africa, one of the countries where the variant was first widely detected.
The infected individual returned to the U.S. from South Africa on November 22. They tested positive for COVID-19 seven days later.
Kena Betancur / AFP/Getty
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
