US Justice Department appeals transportation mask ruling
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A US district judge ruled that the mandates, which apply to trains and other public transportation, were unlawful.
PHOTO: AFP
WASHINGTON (AFP, REUTERS) - The US Justice Department on Wednesday (April 20) appealed a judge's ruling ending a mask mandate on public transportation and aeroplanes, after the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the measure was still needed.
A US district judge on Monday struck down the Covid-19 mask mandate, stating that it exceeded the CDC’s statutory authority.
Although the public has a “strong interest” in combating the spread of Covid-19, the mask mandate “exceeded the CDC’s statutory authority", and it “failed to adequately explain its decisions”, US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida said in her decision.
Multiple major airlines subsequently dropped their mask mandates on domestic flights and some international flights, while ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft as well as passenger rail Amtrak additionally announced an end to mask requirements.
The Justice Department said it would appeal the ruling if the CDC determined the 14-month-old mandate is still needed.
The CDC said on Wednesday it had asked the Justice Department to proceed with the appeal and that "an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health".
Airlines quickly dropped the mandate Monday evening soon after the White House informed reporters and industry officials that the government would no longer enforce the mandate.
Social media users posted videos of airline employees on some trips announcing the mandate had ended mid-flight with many cheering the news, while some expressed anger that the mask rules were abruptly dropped.
The mandate applied to planes, trains, ride-share vehicles and other public transportation and, prior to Monday’s ruling, had been due to expire on May 3 unless the CDC sought a new extension.
The US Travel Association said Wednesday that "masks were critically important during the height of the pandemic" but in the current environment "required masking on public transportation is simply out of step with the current public health landscape."
Polling suggests continued majority support for indoor mask mandates, but with a clear minority opposed.
A YouGov America poll conducted on April 18 found 63 per cent of respondents “strongly” or “somewhat” support US government requirements for masks on public transport.
The court ruling followed other court judgments against Biden administration directives to fight the infectious disease that has killed nearly 1 million Americans, including vaccination or Covid testing mandates for employers.
The CDC also lost court battles on Covid-19 mandates, notably when the Supreme Court in August ended the pandemic-related federal moratorium on residential evictions.
