Mask on plane in U.S.: a judge contradicts Biden
Is it still compulsory to wear a face mask on board aircraft and all means of transportation? The situation does not [...]
Is it still mandatory to wear a face mask on board aircraft and all means of transportation? The situation is not as simple as one might think. Recently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended the requirement until May 3. However, a federal judge in Florida has turned the tables. His ruling actually left the final decision in the hands of individual airlines and local transportation agencies.
United States: masks on the plane
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Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle quashed the warrant for the obligation of masks, which applies to airports, stations and other transportation hubs. Controversy quickly erupted, since this decision was all it took to wipe out a health measure that applied in all fifty states with a flick of the wrist.
It was decided to agree with the non-profit organization Health Freedom Defense Fund, outspoken against vaccines and health measures related to the Covid emergency. Announcements from stewards, stewardesses, and pilots quickly spread on social media. Feast for the airlines, since their own cabin crews were not trained to handle such situations, and to demand this of them, for two years, was an obligation deemed unfair. Added to this is the fact that the abolition of the mandate could allow for a slight increase in ticket sales.
We are confident Judge Mizelle's ruling on our lawsuit will stand. https://t.co/SkO8RCDHg7
- Health Freedom Defense Fund (@theHFDF) April 21, 2022
Biden's plan for masks.
What will U.S. President Joe Biden do about mandatory face masks on airplanes and all other means of transportation? For the Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, appointed by former White House tenant Donald Trump, the presidential mandate was against the law. However, the Biden administration is intent on appealing the ruling in Florida. In response to a press question, the president explained how the final decision is up to the people.
Meanwhile, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced how the mask mandate would remain in place. In contrast, the attitude of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, in the District of Columbia, made the use of the sanitary device optional.
One of the most prominent figures in the U.S. airline world has spoken on the subject, David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue, Breeze and other carriers. He welcomed the end of the mask requirement on airplanes. So did the cabin crew, tired of having to operate checks on passengers often angered by the mandate. Here are Neeleman's words, "If the government can decide to give the State of the Union address without a mask, the same right of choice must be granted to passengers."
However, there was no shortage of mixed and concerned reactions, such as that of Saskia Popescu, infectious disease epidemiologist and assistant professor at George Mason University: "The ruling is very concerning. We are beginning to see a trend in the increase of cases. I fear we may see what happened in the United Kingdom, where they drastically lifted the restrictions and saw a significant increase. That could drive up the numbers of infected people."
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