The White House called the ruling that eliminated the mandatory mask as “disappointing” and suggested that travelers continue to use it

Joe Biden's administration has recently been under pressure from those who call for flexibility or annulment of the obligation to wear masks. Some 20 Republican-led states and several airlines called for an end to this measure on airplanes and other public transportation.

But last week, federal authorities decided to extend the mask requirement until at least May 3 due to an increase in cases.

The White House finds the judge's ruling “disappointing”, said spokeswoman Jen Psaki, adding that “CDC continues to recommend wearing a mask in public transit.”

According to a senior presidential official, this decision “means that the CDC order to wear the mask on public transport is not in effect at this time.”

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will therefore not respect the obligation, he said anonymously.

A judge declared the federal obligation to wear masks on public transport in the United States illegal on Monday, a measure that has been the subject of a tough battle in court.

Justice Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of Tampa, Florida, ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - the main federal health agency - had exceeded its authority by imposing the requirement, which applies to airplanes, trains, subways and buses, among others.

The administration of Democrat Joe Biden has been under increasing pressure in recent weeks to make the measure more flexible or void.

A score of Republican-led states and several major airlines had called for an end to the mandatory wearing of masks on airplanes and other means of public transportation.

But last week, federal authorities decided to extend the mask requirement until at least May 3 due to an increase in cases.

Airlines and several Republican lawmakers called for an end to the mask mandate, issued by the CDC on February 3, 2021, shortly after Biden took office.

Judge Mizelle, candidate of former Republican President Donald Trump, issued her ruling in a lawsuit filed in July 2021 by a conservative non-profit organization called the Health Freedom Defense Fund and two individual plaintiffs.

Although the public has a “keen interest” in combating the spread of covid, the judge said, the obligation to wear a mask “exceeded the statutory authority of the CDC” and that body “did not adequately explain its decisions.”

The judgment could be appealed by the Department of Justice, which, for the time being, has not commented on it.

(With information from AFP)

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