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The U.S. Justice Department appeals to reinstate the transportation mask mandate.

cigaretteman

HR King
May 29, 2001
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The Biden administration on Wednesday appealed a federal court ruling striking down the mask requirement for passengers on planes, trains, buses and other public transportation after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that the mandate was “necessary” to protect the public from the spread of the coronavirus.

The decision came two days after a federal judge in Florida struck down the mask mandate, and set off a rush among airlines, some public transit systems and even Uber and Lyft to abandon mask requirements. Some pilots announced the abrupt change midflight, prompting celebration — but also anxiety — among virus-weary passengers.

While the C.D.C. wants to keep the mandate intact, it is also pressing the appeal to preserve its public health powers. But doing so is potentially risky; if the ruling striking down the mandate is upheld, that could permanently weaken the agency’s authority.

Even if the Biden administration wins the case, there will be backlash among Americans who felt liberated by the lifting of the mask requirement, which also applied to transportation hubs like airports, seaports and train stations.

The legal moves do not change the status of the mask mandate, which cannot be reinstated unless the administration wins a stay of the Federal District Court’s order, and there was little immediate sign that airlines would reintroduce their own. Legal experts said that it was likely that the administration would ask for a stay, and that if it does, the court could decide whether to grant it within days.

 
At this point I'm not sure having a mask mandate on airlines matters anymore. Everyone else has pretty well abandoned it.

That said I do think that the CDC and the Dept. of Transportation should have this authority.
 
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