The United States suspended the obligation to wear a face mask on board airplanes and other public transportation, as well as at airports and stations, after a Florida federal judge invalidated the measure. Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, appointed to the government of Donald Trump for the Tampa (Florida) District Court, found that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ordinance exceeded the “legal authority” of that United States National Public Health Agency.
The decision comes during a resumption of infections, which led the city of Philadelia to re-propose the obligation to wear masks indoors just 24 hours earlier.
The federal government had recently renewed the requirement to wear masks on public transport until at least May 3. The judge’s decision “means that the CDC’s order to wear a mask on public transit is no longer in effect,” a senior US government official told Efe, who asked for anonymity. The CDC still recommends “that people continue to wear masks in closed places linked to public transport”, but they can no longer oblige, the source explained.
Federal government agencies are still reviewing the judge’s ruling and considering possible steps, but it is unclear whether Americans will be forced to re-wear face masks on planes, trains, buses or subways in the future.
The government extended the mandatory use of face masks in all transportation networks ordered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which applied to airplanes, airports, buses and railways, on April 13 and for another two weeks. In the opinion of the Florida magistrate, the CDC did not adequately justify its decision and did not comply with the procedures.