A judge from the state of Florida recently overturned the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) mask mandates, leading many airlines and transportation companies to repeal and end their own. However, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is trying to overturn the ruling, saying that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still has the authority to force all Americans to wear masks when traveling.
Alex Newman discussed the mask mandate issue in the April 29 episode of "The Sentinel Report" on Brighteon.TV, saying that it will be interesting to know how the mask mandates could affect the midterm elections.
"There are very few things less popular than the mask mandate as evidenced by all the videos from all over the country when it was announced that it came down. People cheered and celebrated."
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, from the Middle District of Florida, called the mask mandates "unlawful," saying that the CDC overstepped its legal authority by imposing them in February 2021.
According to her ruling, the mandate, which forces people to wear masks aboard planes, trains, buses and other forms of public transportation, "violates the procedures required for agency rulemaking."
Airlines for America, which represents major North American airlines, welcomed the ruling. In a statement, the group said: "U.S. airlines have been strong advocates for eliminating pandemic-era policies and are encouraged by the lifting of the federal transportation mask mandate." (Related: Studies show how mask mandates, lockdowns and COVID vaccines have failed to deliver.)
Following the ruling, several airlines, such as United, Delta, American and Alaska, issued statements that they are making masks optional.
However, there has not been any consensus among local public transit agencies across the U.S. regarding the matter. New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority said that it would continue to follow CDC recommendations as the new decision is being reviewed, while the New Jersey Transit said that masks will still be required onboard its trains. Amtrak, meanwhile, said that masks would no longer be required on trains.
Mask mandates "arbitrary and capricious"
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are two women and the Health Freedom Defense Fund, a Wyoming nonprofit that challenged vaccine and mask mandates in other parts of the country.
According to the suit, the CDC mandate was "arbitrary and capricious" because it gave exemptions to certain groups, such as children under two years old, but not others.
Ana Carolina Daza, one of the plaintiffs, said that her anxiety should qualify as a medical exemption to the CDC rule. The other plaintiff, Sarah Pope, said that she has "constricted breathing from wearing a mask," which worsened her panic attacks. (Related: Medical professionals, students decry mask mandates and other Covid measures in schools.)
Brant Hadaway, the attorney who introduced the lawsuit, told NBC News via a text message that "The court agreed that the CDC overstepped its statutory authority when it ordered every person who enters a travel conveyance or travel hub to wear a mask."
Meanwhile, Biden administration lawyers have argued that Congress provided broad authority to take reasonable public health measures to prevent the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). They said that the mask mandate was a conventional sanitary measure within the authority of the CDC. Well-fitted, high-quality masks are said to help control COVID-19 transmission by preventing people from spreading the virus or inhaling those that are expelled by others.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a briefing: "This is obviously a disappointing decision. The CDC continues recommending wearing a mask on public transit."
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Watch the full April 29 episode of "The Sentinel Report" in the video below. Catch new episodes of the program every Friday at 4-5 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.
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Study reveals mask mandates are NOT linked to lower COVID-19 transmissions in Spain.
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