Transportation Security Administration SECURITY DIRECTIVE

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Transportation Security Administration

6595 Springfield Center Drive

Springfield, Virginia 20598

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Transportation

Security

Administration

SECURITY DIRECTIVE

NUMBER SD 1582/84-21-01B

SUBJECT Security Measures – Mask Requirements

EFFECTIVE DATE September 14, 2021

EXPIRATION DATE January 18, 2022

CANCELS AND SUPERSEDES SD 1582/84-21-01A

APPLICABILITY Each owner/operator identified in 49 CFR 1582.1(a); each

owner/operator identified in 49 CFR 1584.1 that provides

fixed-route service as defined in 49 CFR 1500.3

AUTHORITY 49 U.S.C. 114

LOCATION United States

PURPOSE AND GENERAL INFORMATION

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to reduce the spread of the virus, the President

issued an Executive Order, Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel,

on January 21, 2021, requiring masks to be worn in and on airports, on commercial aircraft, and

in various modes of surface transportation.

On January 27, 2021, the Acting Secretary of

Homeland Security determined a national emergency existed

requiring the Transportation

Security Administration (TSA) to issue this Security Directive (SD) to implement the Executive

Order and enforce the related Order

issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC), pursuant to the authority of 49 U.S.C. section 114. Consistent with these mandates and

TSA’s authority, TSA is issuing this SD requiring masks to be worn to mitigate the spread of

COVID-19. The requirements in this SD must be applied to all persons in or on one of the

86 FR 7205 (published Jan. 26, 2021).

Acting Secretary David P. Pekoske, Determination of a National Emergency Requiring Actions to Protect the

Safety of Americans Using and Employed by the Transportation System (Jan. 27, 2021), available at

https://www.dhs.gov/publication/determination-national-emergency-requiring-actions-protect-safety-americans-

using-and (accessed Feb. 22, 2021). The Acting Secretary’s determination directs TSA to take actions consistent

with its statutory authorities “to implement the Executive Order to promote safety in and secure the transportation

system.” In particular, the determination directs TSA to support “the CDC in the enforcement of any orders or other

requirements necessary to protect the transportation system, including passengers and employees, from COVID-19

and to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through the transportation system.”

See Order Under Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. § 264) and 42 Code of Federal

Regulations §§ 70.2, 71.31(B), 71.32(B); Requirement for Persons to Wear Masks While on Conveyances and at

Stations, Ports, or Similar Transportation Hubs (January 29, 2021).

Security Directive SD 1582/84-21-01B

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conveyances or a transportation facility used by one of the modes identified above, including

those already vaccinated. TSA developed these requirements in consultation with the

Department of Transportation (including the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal

Transit Administration, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) and the CDC.

DEFINITIONS

For the purpose of this SD, the following definitions apply:

Conveyance has the same definition as under 42 CFR 70.1, meaning “an aircraft, train, road

vehicle, vessel…or other means of transport, including military.”

Mask means a material covering the nose and mouth of the wearer, excluding face shields.

Transportation hub/facility means any airport, bus terminal, marina, seaport or other port,

subway stations, terminal (including any fixed facility at which passengers are picked-up or

discharged), train station, U.S. port of entry, or any other location that provides transportation

subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

ACTIONS REQUIRED

A. Owner/Operators must notify passengers with prominent and adequate notice of the mask

requirements to facilitate awareness and compliance.

At a minimum, this notice must

inform passengers, at the time tickets are purchased or when otherwise booking

transportation and at the time the conveyance departs its location after boarding passengers,

of the following:

1. Federal law requires wearing a mask while on the conveyance and failure to comply may

result in denial of boarding or removal.

2. Refusing to wear a mask is a violation of federal law; passengers may be subject to

penalties under federal law.

B. Owner/Operators must require that individuals wear a mask, except as described in Sections

D., E., or F., as follows:

1. Any persons in a public transportation, passenger railroad, or bus conveyance covered

by this SD.

A properly worn mask completely covers the nose and mouth of the wearer. A mask should be secured to the

head, including with ties or ear loops. A mask should fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face. Masks

do not include face shields. Masks can be either manufactured or homemade and should be a solid piece of material

without slits, exhalation valves, or punctures. Medical masks and N-95 respirators fulfill the requirements of this

SD. CDC guidance for attributes of acceptable masks in the context of this SD is available at

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/masks/mask-travel-guidance.html

Notice may include, if feasible, advance notifications on digital platforms, such as on apps, websites, or email;

posted signage in multiple languages with illustrations; printing the requirement on tickets; or other methods as

appropriate.

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2. Any person in public areas of transportation hubs/facilities controlled by the

owner/operator (such as for purposes of purchasing tickets, waiting areas, and

platforms for boarding and disembarking) for the duration of travel, boarding, and

disembarking.

C. Owner/Operators must ensure that direct employees and contractor employees wear a mask

at all times when in conveyances or in or around transportation facilities under their control,

except as described in Sections D., E., or F.

D. The requirement to wear a mask does not apply under the following circumstances:

1. When necessary to temporarily remove the mask for identity verification purposes.

2. While eating, drinking, or taking oral medications for brief periods

. Prolonged periods

of mask removal are not permitted for eating or drinking; the mask must be worn

between bites and sips.

3. While communicating with a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, when the ability to

see the mouth is essential for communication.

4. If unconscious (for reasons other than sleeping), incapacitated, unable to be awakened, or

otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

E. The following conveyances are exempted from wearing masks:

1. Persons in private conveyances operated solely for personal, non-commercial use.

2. A driver, when operating a commercial motor vehicle as this term is defined in 49 CFR

390.5, if the driver is the sole occupant of the vehicle.

The CDC has stated that brief periods of close contact without a mask should not exceed 15 minutes. See

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/public-health-recommendations.html

Persons who are experiencing difficulty breathing or shortness of breath or are feeling winded may remove the

mask temporarily until able to resume normal breathing with the mask. Persons who are vomiting should remove

the mask until vomiting ceases. Persons with acute illness may remove the mask if it interferes with necessary

medical care such as supplemental oxygen administered via an oxygen mask.

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F. This SD exempts the following categories of persons from wearing masks:

1. Children under the age of 2.

2. People with disabilities who cannot wear a mask, or cannot safely wear a mask, because

of the disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. 12101 et

seq.).

3. People for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to workplace health, safety, or job

duty as determined by the relevant workplace safety guidelines or federal regulations.

G. Owner/Operators must establish procedures to manage situations with persons who refuse to

comply with the requirement to wear a mask. At a minimum, these procedures must ensure

that if an individual refuses to comply with an instruction given by the owner/operator with

respect to wearing a mask, the owner/operator must:

1. Deny boarding;

2. Make best efforts to disembark the individual as soon as practicable; or

3. Make best efforts to remove the individual from the transportation hub/facility.

H. If an individual’s refusal to comply with the mask requirement constitutes a significant

security concern, the owner/operator must report the incident to the Transportation Security

Operations Center (TSOC) at 1-866-615-5150 or 1-703-563-3240 in accordance with 49

CFR 1570.203.

Owner/Operators may impose requirements, or conditions of carriage, on persons requesting an exemption from

the requirement to wear a mask, including medical consultation by a third party, medical documentation by a

licensed medical provider, and/or other information as determined by the owner/operator, as well as require

evidence that the person does not have COVID-19 such as a negative result from a SAR-CoV-2 viral test or

documentation of recovery from COVID-19. CDC definitions for SAR-CoV-2 viral test and documentation of

recovery are available in Frequently Asked Questions at:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-

ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html. Owners/Operators may also impose additional protective

measures that improve the ability of a person eligible for exemption to maintain social distance (separation from

others by 6 feet), such as scheduling travel at less crowded times or on less crowded conveyances, or seating or

otherwise situating the individual in a less crowded section of the conveyance or transportation hub/facility

Owners/Operators may further require that persons seeking exemption from the requirement to wear a mask request

an accommodation in advance.

This is a narrow exception that includes a person with a disability who cannot wear a mask for reasons related to

the disability; who, e.g., do not understand how to remove their mask due to cognitive impairment, cannot remove a

mask on their own due to dexterity/mobility impairments, or cannot communicate promptly to ask someone else to

remove their mask due to speech impairments or language disorders, or cannot wear a mask because doing so would

impede the function of assistive devises/technology. It is not meant to cover persons for whom mask-wearing may

only be difficult. The CDC issued additional guidance on disability exemptions on March 23, 2021, which is

available at https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/masks/mask-travel-guidance.html

Security Directive SD 1582/84-21-01B

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PREEMPTION

The requirements in this SD do not preempt any State, local, Tribal, or territorial rule, regulation,

order, or standard necessary to eliminate or reduce a local safety hazard, which includes public

health measures that are the same or more protective of public health than those required in this

SD, if that provision is not incompatible with this SD.

PROCEDURES FOR SECURITY DIRECTIVES

A. The owner/operator must immediately provide written confirmation of receipt of this SD via

email to TSA at TSA[email protected].

B. The owner/operator must immediately disseminate the information and measures in this SD

to corporate senior management, security management representatives, and any personnel

having responsibilities in implementing the provisions in this directive. The owner/operator

may widely share this SD with anyone subject to the provisions of this directive to include,

but not limited to, federal, state, and local government personnel; direct owner/operator

employees; tenants; contractors; transport personnel; taxi drivers; law enforcement; etc.

C. All individuals responsible for implementing this SD must be briefed by the owner/operator.

If the owner/operator is unable to implement the measures in this SD, the owner/operator

must submit proposed alternative measures and the basis for submitting the alternative

measures to TSA for approval.

D. The owner/operator may comment on this SD by submitting data, views, or arguments in

writing to TSA via email at TSA[email protected] . TSA may amend the SD based on

comments received. Submission of a comment does not delay the effective date of the SD.

APPROVAL OF ALTERNATIVE MEASURES

The owner/operator must immediately notify TSA via email at TSA[email protected] if

unable to implement any of the measures in this SD. The owner/operator may submit proposed

alternative measures and a justification for adopting those measures to the email addresses

above.

David Pekoske

Administrator