The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said on Aug. 17 it will extend a mask mandate for travelers on airplanes, trains, and buses, as well as at airports and train stations, in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. The mandate now runs through Jan. 18, 2022; it had previously been extended in April through Sept. 13. “The purpose of TSA’s mask directive is to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation,” a TSA spokesperson said in a statement, according to Reuters. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants–CWA, which represents some 50,000 flight attendants at 17 airlines, said in a statement that the mask mandate “will help tremendously to keep passengers and aviation workers safe.” She also urged people to get vaccinated. Not everyone has been compliant with mask mandates on public transportation. The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that 2,867 incidents have been reported by airlines of …