US will no longer enforce mask policy on airplanes and trains

April 19 ------ The Biden administration will no longer enforce a US mask mandate on public transportation, after a federal judge in Florida on Monday, April 18, ruled that the 14-month-old directive was unlawful, overturning a key White House effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Soon after the announcement, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines relaxed the restrictions effective immediately on all domestic flights.

The ruling by US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle came in a lawsuit filed last year in Tampa, Florida, by a group called the Health Freedom Defense Fund. Judge Mizelle said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had exceeded its authority with the mandate, had not sought public comment and did not adequately explain its decisions.

A US administration official said while the agencies were assessing potential next steps, the court’s decision meant CDC’s public transportation masking order was no longer in effect. The administration could still opt to appeal the order or seek an emergency delay in the order’s enforcement. “Therefore, TSA will not enforce its Security Directives and Emergency Amendment requiring mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs at this time,” the official said in a statement. The ruling comes as COVID-19 infections rise again in the United States, with 36,251 new infections reported on average each day, and 460 daily deaths, based on a seven-day average – the highest number of reported total COVID-19 deaths in the world.

After the ruling, Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, urged “calm and consistency in the airports and on planes. The last thing we need for workers on the frontlines or passengers traveling today is confusion and chaos.” Airlines for America, which represents major US passenger airlines, said after the announcement they are “strong advocates for eliminating pandemic-era policies and are encouraged by the lifting of the federal transportation mask mandate.” The US Senate voted 57-40 last month to overturn the public health order requiring masks on airplanes and other forms of public transportation, drawing a veto threat from President Joe Biden.

Source: rappler.com