WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The US Travel Association on Tuesday (March 22) urged the White House to lift Covid-19 travel restrictions and repeal a mandate requiring masks on airplanes and in other transit modes by April 18, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

In a letter to Dr Ashish Jha, the incoming White House Covid-19 response coordinator, the group called for an immediate end to the pre-departure testing requirement for all fully vaccinated inbound international persons and ending the mask mandate by April 18 "or announcing a plan and timeline to repeal the federal mask mandate within the subsequent 90 days."

The White House did not immediately comment.

"It makes little sense to keep the pre-departure testing requirement in place for inbound air travellers when the US government does not require negative tests at US-Canada and US-Mexico land border points of entry," wrote US Travel Chief Executive Roger Dow.

The travel industry also wants the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to end "avoid travel" advisories for all vaccinated individuals and urged the Biden administration to avoid the future "use of travel bans from specific countries."

In total, the CDC urges Americans to avoid travel to about 120 countries and territories.

It also calls by June 1 to "develop benchmarks and timelines for a pathway to the new normal that repeals pandemic-focused travel restrictions" including ending all remaining restrictions, including international vaccine and testing mandates.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration extended requirements for travellers to wear masks on airplanes, trains and in transit hubs through April 18 as public health authorities review when mask requirements should be dropped.

The mask requirements have resulted in significant friction on US airplanes.

The CDC said last week that 99.5 per cent of the US population is in a location where Covid-19 levels are low enough that people do not need to wear masks.