The Justice Department has filed an attraction that seeks to reverse a choose’s latest ruling that ended the nation’s mask mandate on public transit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had requested the division to attraction the choice, issuing an announcement Wednesday that stated the mandate “remains necessary for the public health.”
“CDC continues to recommend that people wear masks in all indoor public transportation settings,” the CDC’s assertion continued. “CDC’s number one priority is protecting the public health of our nation. As we have said before, wearing masks is most beneficial in crowded or poorly ventilated locations, such as the transportation corridor.”
The Justice Department stated Tuesday it would attraction U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle’s choice provided that the CDC stated the mandate was nonetheless necessary. The division stated Tuesday that it disagreed with the district court docket’s choice, and upon submitting the attraction, Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley issued an announcement Wednesday saying, “In light of today’s assessment by the CDC that an order requiring masking in the transportation corridor remains necessary to protect the public health, the Department has filed a notice of appeal in Health Freedom Defense Fund, Inc., et al., v. Biden, et al.“
On Monday, Mizelle voided the CDC’s requirement protecting airplanes and different public transit, ruling that the mandate exceeded the authority of U.S. well being officers. In the aftermath, the Transportation Security Administration stated it would now not implement the mandate.
The choose’s choice got here days after the CDC had prolonged the mask mandate, which had been set to run out Monday, by two weeks to provide researchers extra time to review the Omicron subvariant BA.2. Â
However, the response to the ruling has been different. Some cities, together with New York City and Philadelphia, nonetheless require masks to be worn in airports and on public transportation, whereas others, equivalent to Houston and Atlanta, don’t. Even airways now have differing guidelines for masking, though most now say masks are non-obligatory for passengers. Amtrak has additionally stated masks are now not required on trains or in stations.
Asked Tuesday if folks ought to nonetheless put on masks on planes, President Biden replied: “That’s up to them,” in accordance with The Associated Press.
Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious illness professional and editor-at-large for Kaiser Health News, instructed “CBS Mornings” that the CDC’s extension was the “appropriate” and “cautious” strategy.
“We know that this virus mutates. In fact, it’s mutating very rapidly,” she stated. “We will see more variants, and we will see other pandemics after COVID. So I do think the idea of stripping ourselves of an essential tool and toolbox is a really bad idea.”
Victoria Albert and Robert Legare contributed reporting.
