Travelers celebrated Monday by whipping off their face coverings and cheering after a White House official said that passengers on plane...
Travelers celebrated Monday by whipping off their face coverings and cheering after a White House official said that passengers on planes, trains and busses can finally shed their masks after more than two years.
The news came immediately following a federal ruling out of Florida that struck down the public transit mask mandate, which had recently been extended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The ruling by US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, appeared to free operators to make their own decisions about mask requirements.
She said the CDC had failed to justify its 'unlawful' mask policy, stretched the meaning of 'sanitation' in the law to encompass face coverings, and did not follow proper rulemaking procedures that left it fatally flawed.
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 plaintiffs in the lawsuit, two individuals and the non-profit Health Freedom Defense Fund.
The CDC had issued the mandate in February 2021 and it was due to expire next month after it was extended multiple times at the request of Joe Biden. Now operators can decide their own policy on mask-wearing, pending a potential appeal to the ruling by the US Department of Justice.
Multiple people flying the friendly skies posted videos and photos Monday of people taking off their masks and applauding the ruling.
One man wrote: 'I'm on Delta flight to NYC now and the plane absolutely went bonkers when Captain said NO NEED TO WEAR A MASK ON THIS FLIGHT. We are taking our country back!!!'
Ben Dietderich added, as he heard the announcement: 'A wonderful moment mid flight on @alaskaair today!
On the first flight to Las Vegas where passengers were allowed for the first time in more than two years to shed their masks during a flight, photographers captured people immediately getting rid of the face coverings.
Inside LAX airport, the scene was very quiet, as some passengers didn't appear to be aware of the new rules allowing them to go mask-free. Signs were still up as of Monday evening advising passengers to wear masks at all times.
TSA agents at the American Airlines terminal told photographers they were aware of the update.
On Monday, it was announced that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will no longer enforce masks on public transit - though the CDC still recommends them.
'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,' an administration official said.
Several airlines also announced that they will not enforce a mask policy for passengers anymore.
Scene inside 1st flight to Las Vegas where passengers are allowed for the first time to not wear masks on a flight in nearly two years since Covid 19 pandemic
After a White House official said Monday that passengers on planes, trains and busses can shed their masks, people taking to the skies learning of the news started to whip the face coverings off and celebrate
The news came as a Centers for Disease Control ( CDC ) public transit mask mandate is no longer in effect after a federal judge in Florida ruled it unlawful
Multiple people flying the friendly skies posted videos and photos of people taking off their masks and applauding the ruling
On the first flight to Las Vegas since the mask policy was dropped, some passengers kept on their coverings while others made the most of their new freedoms
First look inside LAX airport at first passengers moments after mask mandate is now lifted across all travel in the USA
The scene was very quiet inside the Los Angeles airport as some passengers didn't even know the new rules allowing them to now go mask free for the first time since the Covid 19 pandemic
Mizelle said the CDC had exceeded its authority with the mandate, had not sought public comment and did not adequately explain its decisions. It has triggered a huge wave of violent clashes on planes across the US among passengers who want to be masked and others who've removed the coverings.
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said the CDC improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the ruling a 'disappointing decision' during her briefing Monday afternoon and advised Americans to continue wearing masks on public transport.
'The CDC continues recommending wearing a mask in public transit,' Psaki said.
Asked why people were being asked to mask up on transit but not in the White House briefing room, Psaki told Fox News' Peter Doocey: 'I'm not a doctor, you're not a doctor, that I'm aware of.
'This is based on health considerations and data that the CDC looks at,' she added.
Shortly after the White House statement Delta, American, Alaska Airlines and United formally announced face masks are not required on their flights.
'Effective immediately, masks are no longer required at United on domestic flights, select international flights (dependent upon the arrival country's mask requirements) or at U.S. airports,' United said in a statement.
The mask mandate has caused a surge in incidents and altercations between airline officials enforcing the mandate and passengers rejecting the demand they cover their faces - the Federal Aviation Administration said that since January 2021, there have been a record 7,060 unruly passenger incidents reported - and 70% involved masking rules.
Airlines for America had last week urged the Biden administration 'to lean into science and research, which clearly support lifting the mask mandate. It makes no sense to require masks on a plane when masks are not recommended in places like restaurants, bars or crowded sports facilities.'
The group, which represents major U.S. passenger airlines, did not have an immediate comment on Monday's ruling.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the ruling a 'disappointing decision' during her briefing Monday afternoon and advised Americans to continue wearing masks on public transport
A man wears a mask in San Diego Airport, San Diego, California Monday after a federal judge strikes down the mask mandate for public transportation
Passengers exit a train at 30th Street Station as the indoor mask mandate is reinstated to prevent the spread of COVID-19, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday
In Judge Mizelle's 59-page ruling Monday, Mizelle suggested that the mandate - in which non-complying travelers are 'forcibly removed from their airplane seats, denied board at the bus steps, and turned away at the train station doors' -- was akin to 'detention and quarantine.'
Mizelle said the only remedy was to vacate the rule entirely because it would be impossible to end it for the limited group of people who objected to it 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.
It is unclear when or how quickly the ruling will be implemented at airports or train stations across the country or if the Justice Department will attempt to block the ruling and file an appeal.
There was no immediate word on whether the government will appeal.
People wait to board an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle from San Diego Airport, San Diego, California on Monday
The mandate requiring face masks on airplanes, the subway, trains, buses and other forms of public transportation, was recently extended by the CDC until May 3, 2022
United Airlines told its employees Monday that the mask mandate 'remains in effect for both customers and employees, despite the decision by a federal judge on Monday that stuck down the federal mask mandate'
The mandate requiring face masks on airplanes, the subway, trains, buses and other forms of public transportation, was recently extended by the CDC until May 3, 2022.
This is 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.
The mandate extension is 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.
It is unclear how quickly the ruling will be implemented at airports or train stations or if the Justice Department will attempt to block the ruling and file an appeal, CNN reported
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.'
Earlier this month, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned airline passengers not to be a 'jerk' as record fines were levied on two unruly passengers.
'Look. It's one thing to be grumpy on a flight. I feel that way sometimes,' Buttigieg said during an appearance on ABC's The View. 'But yeah, it's another thing to endanger flight crews and to endanger fellow passengers. We have no tolerance for that. The FAA is actually getting ready to announce record fines on people who have done this.'
'If you're on an airplane, don't be a jerk,' he advised. 'Don't endanger your fellow passengers.'
The FAA imposed its zero-tolerance mandate when unruly passenger incidents escalated around the time of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Incidents remained elevated after President Joe Biden's administration imposed a mandate requiring passengers to wear masks on airplanes and in airports because of COVID-19 cases in February 2021.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned airline passengers not to be a 'jerk' as record fines were levied on two unruly passengers on Friday
On Monday, the CDC dropped its 'Do Not Travel' COVID-19 recommendations for about 90 international destinations.
Last week, the CDC said it was revising its travel recommendations and said it would its reserve Level 4 travel health notices 'for special circumstances, such as rapidly escalating case trajectory or extremely high case counts.'
The countries and others regions dropped to 'Level 3: High,' which still discourages travel by unvaccinated Americans, include the United Kingdom, France, Israel, Turkey, Australia, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Russia.
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