The Biden administration is reportedly preparing to reinstate full COVID lockdowns, beginning with mask mandates for TSA and airport employees as early as mid-September.

A high-level TSA official detailed a Tuesday meeting where TSA managers were informed of new policies that would reemplement mask-wearing.

These policies allegedly included reinstating the mask mandate for TSA and airport employees starting in mid-September.

The official added that by mid-October, mask-wearing will be mandated for pilots, flight staff, passengers, and all airport workers.

The World Health Organization  classified the EG.5 coronavirus strain circulating in the United States and China as a “variant of interest” but stressed it did not seem to pose more of a threat to public health than other variants. Despite the message from WHO, some health experts are sounding the alarm.

On Thursday, WHO made a formal announcement on Thursday, categorizing the BA.2.86 variant—a highly mutated variant—as a “variant under monitoring.”