A White House adviser says that there is a distinct possibility that the federal mask mandate will be extended.

The Hill reports:

“This is a CDC decision and I think it is absolutely on the table,” White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha said on NBC’s “Today.”

Jha said that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky will make the decision on extending the mask mandate for transportation networks based on a scientific framework that the agency is developing. He also said that framework will be available in the “next few days.”

Jha’s remarks come as several states have seen a rise in COVID-19 cases as a highly transmissible subvariant of omicron, BA.2, has spread. A string of high-profile cases in Washington last week included Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Attorney General Merrick Garland and several lawmakers.

Jha said on Monday that he’s “not overly concerned right now” about another surge due to the BA.2 variant. He stressed that there are still very low inflection numbers and low hospitalization numbers.

The Transportation Security Administration’s mask mandate for travel on airplanes, buses, and rail systems went into effect with an expiration date of May 2021 but has been extended several times. In March it was extended through April 18.