SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – The deadline to get a REAL ID has been extended for a year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The original Oct. 1, 2020 deadline has been pushed back a year to Oct. 1, 2021, officials announced Thursday.
The acting secretary for Homeland Security Chad Wolf released a statement that said in part, “The federal, state and local response to the spread of the Coronavirus here in the United States necessitates a delay in this deadline. Our state and local partners are working tirelessly with the Administration to flatten the curve and, therefore, we want to remove any impediments to response and recovery efforts.”
Extending the deadline will also allow the Department to work with Congress to implement needed changes to expedite the issuance of REAL IDs once the current health crisis concludes,” Wolf added.
President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that the deadline would be moved to follow social distancing guidelines and avoid crowds at the states’ Department of Motor Vehicles.
Governor and lawmakers had been pushing for a delay since many states had reported trouble processing requests during the coronavirus outbreak.
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