The reaction of passengers in the US to learn of the suspension of the mandatory use of masks on airplanes

A group of passengers who were on board a plane in the US, were informed by the pilot of the measure recently taken by a federal judge from that country in which the mandatory use of a mask to prevent COVID-19 infections is eliminated, both at airports and in aircraft cabins.

“The Biden Government announces that the transport security administration no longer imposes the mandatory use of masks at all US airports or on aircraft,” the captain of the plane told everyone present.

Immediately, the reaction was not long in coming and the passengers began to celebrate with applause and shouts of celebration. Among the hubbub you hear a person exclaim: “At last!” , while some remove the mask inside the cabin and others left it on.

The federal judge in Florida overturned the national mandate to wear masks covering airplanes and other means of public transportation for exceeding the authority of US health officials, including in the coronavirus pandemic.

The Monday decision of federal district judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, appointed by former President Donald Trump, also said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention failed to justify its decision inappropriately and did not follow proper rules.

In her 59-page ruling, Mizelle said the only remedy was to override the rule altogether because it would be impossible to end it for the limited group of people who opposed it in the lawsuit.

“Because our system does not allow agencies to act illegally, even in pursuit of desirable ends, the court declares it illegal and annuls the mask mandate,” he wrote.

The Republican Governor for the State of Florida, Ron DeSantis, celebrated the move with a post on his social media.

“It's great to see a federal judge in Florida follow the law and reject Biden's bill on mandatory mask wearing in transportation. Both airline employees and passengers deserve an end to this misery,” the governor said through his Twitter account.

CDC recently extended the mask mandate, which expired on Monday, until May 3 to allow more time for study the omicron BA.2 subvariant of the coronavirus that is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the US.

The mask requirement for travelers was the subject of months of lobbying by airlines, who tried to put an end to it. Carriers argued that effective air filters on modern aircraft make transmission of the virus during a flight very unlikely. Republicans in Congress also fought to end the mandate.

Last week, President Joe Biden's government extended by two weeks the national order that requires wearing a mask in public transport while monitoring an increase in COVID-19 cases.

When the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is responsible for ensuring compliance with the order on planes, buses, trains and their respective terminals, extended the requirement last month, it said that CDC hoped to develop a more flexible strategy to replace the order. national.

The order to wear the mask is the most visible vestige of the restrictions to control the pandemic and possibly the most controversial. The recent increase in abusive and sometimes violent incidents on airplanes has been attributed to disputes over mask use.

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