April 18, 2022
-CNBC
A federal judge in Florida on Monday vacated the Biden administration’s national Covid mask mandate for planes and other forms of public transportation, ruling that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had overstepped its authority.
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa said the CDC had failed to adequately explain its reasons for the mandate, and did not allow public comment in violation of federal procedures for issuing new rules. Mizelle was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2020.
The court’s ruling comes less than a week after the CDC extended the mask mandate for 15 days, amid a rise in Covid infections nationwide due to the more contagious omicron BA.2 subvariant. The U.S. reported a seven-day average of nearly 35,000 new infections as of Friday, a 36% increase over the past two weeks, according to data from the CDC.
While state and local authorities across the country have lifted mask mandates, the CDC decided last week to keep the federal requirements for public transportation in place through May 3. The agency said it needed time to assess whether the recent rise in Covid infections would have an impact on hospital capacity.
Airlines have repeatedly asked the Biden administration to the drop mask mandate as well as other restrictions such as predeparture testing for all international arrivals, including citizens.
The CDC’s decision to extend the mandate for public transportation stands in contrast to the agency easing its health recommendations in most other areas of daily life. Under the CDC’s current guidance, most Americans live in areas where they no longer need to wear masks in restaurants, bars, stores and other public places indoors.
The CDC said it wouldn’t comment on pending litigation.
