A federal judge has struck down the mask mandate on public transportation in the US.
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ruled that the mandate exceeds the authority of US health officials in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tampa, Florida judge also ruled that the Centers for Disease Control did not justify its decision and failed to follow proper rulemaking procedures. In her decision, Mizelle said she had no choice but to void the rule completely, saying it would be impossible to end it only for the people who challenged it in court.
The CDC recently extended the mandate until May 3 in order to study the latest subvariant that’s responsible for most new cases in the US.
No word from the federal Justice Department on whether it plans to challenge the ruling.
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