CDC urges riders to keep wearing masks on public transportation
People should continue wearing masks on public transportation even though it’s no longer required by law, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
The federal government’s public transit mask mandate was scheduled to expire Tuesday, but a federal judge struck it down two weeks earlier instead.
“CDC continues to recommend that all people — passengers and workers, alike — properly wear a well-fitting mask or respirator in indoor public transportation conveyances and transportation hubs to provide protection for themselves and other travelers in these high volume, mixed population settings,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky said in a press release.
While the nationwide rules changed, New York authorities have continued to require masks on planes, trains and buses.
The Justice Department has appealed the anti-mask mandate ruling from Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump.
COVID-19 cases have continued to tick upward due to the omicron BA.2 subvaraint. On Tuesday, case rates were highest in previous bellwether locations such as New York and Washington state.