The Biden administration is planning to maintain a federal mandate for travelers to wear masks on transportation such as airplanes, trains and buses through January 18th as part of its effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus, according to a Tuesday report.

Reuters reports:

Major U.S. airlines were informed of the planned extension on a call with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday, the three people briefed on the matter said. The current TSA transportation mask order runs through Sept 13. […] The current CDC order, which has been in place since soon after Biden took office in January, requires the use of face masks on nearly all forms of public transportation.

The report comes as states across the country are re-issuing mask mandates and even vaccine rules, citing the rise in cases of the delta variant. However, as some data shows is beginning to show, places like California’s Bay Area are experiencing coronavirus hospitalizations that match last summer’s high despite the area re-imposing mask mandates, even among vaccinated individuals, in August.

As Breitbart News reported ABC 7’s Bay Area COVID-19 Tracker:

According to the data, the Bay Area — which includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma — saw 2,484 daily coronavirus cases reported August 16, with the rolling average standing at 1.792/57 as of August 13. This time last year, on August 15, 2020, the Bay Area reported 1,140 daily cases. The chart also shows total hospitalizations also exceeding the numbers seen last summer, reporting 1,026 hospitalizations August 15, 2021, compared to 825 recorded on the summer’s peak on July 28, 2020. Additionally, Bay Area deaths related to the Chinese coronavirus stood at ten August 16, 2021, while the rolling average stood at 9.43 exactly one year ago, on August 16, 2020.

Nonetheless, San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) recently announced that individuals in the city must provide proof of vaccination for access to such as restaurants, bars, and gyms. “Many San Francisco businesses are already leading the way by requiring proof of vaccination for their customers because they care about the health of their employees, their customers, and this city,” Breed said in a statement at the time.