WASHINGTON – The Administration of the President of the United States, Joe BidenHe said so on Tuesday will appeal the ruling of a judge who ended the mandate to use masks on planes when deemed necessary by health authorities to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to which the government has been referred, said they are continuing to evaluate whether the mandates are still necessary. The mandates apply to planes, trains and other public transport and were due to expire on May 3 before Monday’s decision.
“We will continue to assess the need for mask requirements in these settings based on multiple factors, including the level of community COVID-19 in the United States, the risk of circulating and emerging variants, and case trends and severity of infection. disease,” a CDC spokesman said in a statement Tuesday.
The Justice Department said it would appeal Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle’s verdict Monday – noting that the 14-month-old directive was illegal – if the CDC determines the mandate is necessary to protect public health.
“If the CDC concludes that the mandatory order continues to be necessary for public health purposes following this assessment, the Justice Department will appeal the district court’s decision,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
The CDC reiterated that they recommend the use of masks on public transportation.
This comes hours after Biden, on a trip to New Hampshire, responded to a question about whether people should continue to wear masks on planes, saying: “It’s up to them.”
Monday’s court decision, made in response to a lawsuit filed in Tampa, Fla. last year, means the CDC’s order to wear masks on public transportation is no longer in effect, according to an official.
This decision comes at a time when COVID-19 infections are rising in the United States and more than 400 people are dying each day from the airborne disease, based on the most recent seven-day moving average.
The ruling followed a series of rulings against government policies to combat the infectious disease that has killed nearly a million Americans, including vaccinating or COVID testing mandates for employers.
“Public health decisions should not be made by courts. They should be made by public health experts.”said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
(Edited in Spanish by Carlos Serrano)
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