No Enforcement

From News Nation:

“TSA will not enforce mask mandate, administration official says”

The Transportation Security Administration announced it would no longer enforce the travel mask mandate after a federal judge struck it down, according to an administration official. “The agencies are reviewing the decision and assessing potential next steps. In the meantime, today’s court decision means CDC’s public transportation masking order is not in effect at this time. Therefore, TSA will not enforce its Security Directives and Emergency Amendment requiring mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs at this time. CDC recommends that people continue to wear masks in indoor public transportation settings.”

A federal judge in Florida has voided the national mask mandate covering airplanes and other public transportation as exceeding the authority of U.S. health officials in the coronavirus pandemic. The decision Monday by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, also said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking. In her 59-page ruling, Mizelle said the only remedy was to vacate the rule entirely across the country because it would be impossible to end it for the limited group of people who objected in the lawsuit. The judge said “a limited remedy would be no remedy at all” and that the courts have full authority to make a decision such as this — even if the goals of the CDC in fighting the virus are laudable. “Because our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends, the court declares unlawful and vacates the mask mandate,” she wrote.

The Justice Department declined to comment Monday when asked if the government planned to appeal the ruling. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was not directly involved in the case but has battled against many government coronavirus requirements, praised the ruling in statement on Twitter. “Great to see a federal judge in Florida follow the law and reject the Biden transportation mask mandate. Both airline employees and passengers deserve to have this misery end,” DeSantis tweeted. The CDC recently extended the mask mandate, which was set to expire Monday, until May 3 to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus that is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the U.S.

The mask requirement for travelers was the target of months of lobbying from the airlines, which sought to kill it. The carriers argued that effective air filters on modern planes make transmission of the virus during a flight highly unlikely. Republicans in Congress also fought to kill the mandate. Critics have seized on the fact that states have rolled back rules requiring masks in restaurants, stores and other indoor settings, and yet COVID-19 cases have fallen sharply since the omicron variant peaked in mid-January. There have been a series of violent incidents on aircraft that have mainly been attributed to disputes over the mask-wearing requirements.

The lawsuit was filed in July 2021 by two plaintiffs and the Health Freedom Defense Fund, described in the judge’s order as a nonprofit group that “opposes laws and regulations that force individuals to submit to the administration of medical products, procedures and devices against their will.” As news of the voided mandate broke Monday, airlines found themselves stuck in limbo, unsure how to go forward. In a statement to NewsNation, Allegiant Airlines said their mask mandates will “still be in place as they closely monitor the situation” and that they “anticipate further clarification.” Additionally, the Association of Flight Attendants released a statement, telling NewsNation, “we urge calm and consistency in the airports and on planes. The last thing we need for workers on the frontlines or passengers traveling today is confusion and chaos.”

The White House is still making sense of the federal ruling as well. When asked how they asses the Florida court’s decision, press secretary, Jen Psaki, responded with no clear answer. “We’re continuing to recommend that everyone wear masks. I don’t have any updates. This just came out through the courts — just this afternoon — and as soon as there is an update, we will provide that to all.

^ This will now just cause more chaos around the country and probably more irate and crazy Anti-Maskers causing violence and delays. I don’t think Masks should be mandatory anymore, but I also don’t like this limbo and confusion. ^

https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/coronavirus/judge-voids-mask-mandate-for-public-travel/