A federal judge in Florida has put a permanent end to the travel mask mandate instituted during the COVID crisis.
Health
After acknowledging a lawsuit filed by the Health Freedom Defense Fund, US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa vacated the travel mask mandate nationwide and directed the CDC to reverse the policy. This means that the Biden administration’s order that all airplane, train, and bus passengers be required to wear a mask while traveling is no longer permissible.
The TSA has already stopped enforcing the mask mandate and passengers from coast to coast are freely removing their masks without recourse.
The directive from Judge Mizelle (who is a Donald Trump appointee and a former Clarence Thomas clerk) was very much in keeping with the conservative politics and views of Florida. Under her judgment, she killed the national travel mask mandate by ruling that the CDC’s description of the mandate as a form of “sanitation” was nothing more than a means to justify its authority in the matter.
“Wearing a mask cleans nothing,” Mizelle wrote. “At most, it traps virus droplets. But it neither ‘sanitizes’ the person wearing the mask or ‘sanitizes’ the conveyance.”
Mizelle also penned that the CDC had gone too far by issuing a regulation that “acts on individuals directly” rather than just their “property interests,” and added: “Since the mask mandate regulates an individual’s behavior — wearing a mask — it imposes directly on liberty interests.”
In March, Florida and several other Republican-led states filed lawsuits to put an end to the travel mask mandate and other pandemic precautions as a “gotcha” against President Joe Biden and his COVID “safety measures.” You may also recall that GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida once barked at a group of teenage high school students to “take off your masks” during an appearance with him.
Judge Mizelle’s ruling now appears to be a victory for DeSantis (a rumored presidential candidate in 2024) and other Republicans who were anxious to stop Democrats and their laws from telling them what to do — even though the measures were designed for their own health and safety.
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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.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 18, 2022
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Since the start of the COVID pandemic during the Donald Trump era, Trump has always inexplicably ordered Republicans to ignore the virus, to not wear masks, to not follow the rules, and to effectively do the opposite of what medical experts asked them to do. Despite data that masks help prevent the spread of colds, flu, and yes, COVID, Republicans remain hell-bent on treating the mandate as if someone has asked them to walk down the street naked while twirling a fire baton.
Thankfully (for them), they can now rip the mask off their face on any plane, train, or bus in America and stick their tongues out at anyone who dares to give them the side-eye for not helping to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
“It’s a disappointing decision. We’re continuing to recommend that people wear masks while the administration reviews the ruling and considers its legal options.”
– White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
OK WASSUP! discusses Health News:
Travel mask mandate ended by GOP judge.
This judge is no medical expert. Everybody knows what she did is nothing but politics. Trump started this mess when he made masks a bad thing just to be difficult. All his butt kissers ever wanted was to get rid of masks just to say they won something and now they got it. It should not be a fight. Covid is still going on and here these fools are acting like it was a contest to get rid of masks. I tell you what though, she can judge about masks all she want but I am not taking mine off no thank you!