American society is still wrestling with the issue of face masks
In Tampa, Florida, Judge Michael Miller of U.S. District Courtstruck down an order that forced Americans to wear face masks on airplanes and other public transportation during the pandemic. Philadelphia became the first major U.S. city to reinstate an indoor mask ban this spring.
According to a report on VOA’s website on April 19, Mizele was appointed by former President Trump. The lawsuit against the mask order was filed in Florida last year by a group called the Health Freedom Defense Fund.
For months, airlines have lobbied federal officials to end the mask ban. They argue that the advanced filtration systems in aircraft make novel coronavirus transmission on flights less likely.
A senior administration official said Monday after the judge’s ruling that agencies are reviewing the ruling and evaluating possible steps going forward. “Today’s court ruling means that CDC public transportation masks are no longer effective at this time,” the official said. As a result, the TSA will no longer enforce the mask requirement on public transportation and transit hubs at this time.
However, “CDC recommends that people continue to wear masks in indoor Settings,” the official said.
According to a report on the website of the New York Times on April 18, Philadelphia became the first major US city to reinstate an indoor mask ban this spring in response to a surge in COVID-19 infections. Effective Monday, Philadelphia’s mask order was reinstated more than a month after the city lifted it in early March.
The regulation requires people to wear masks in all indoor public places. But instead, businesses can choose to ask employees and customers to show proof of vaccination.
The reaction was mixed, the report said. Some public health advocates applauded the move. However, a group of business owners and residents went to court on Saturday to block the measure. Josh Shapiro, a leading Democratic candidate for governor in Pennsylvania, called such rules “counterproductive”. Many Philadelphia residents aren’t sure what to make of the measure.
“It doesn’t create any stability for people in business,” said Shane Dodd, who co-owns a small restaurant in the city’s Fair mount area. It’s a never-ending story.”
Philadelphia’s decision to reinstate the mask order comes as the epidemic enters a strange phase, the report said. For a city that has largely complied with public health directives over the past two years, Philadelphia has become a real-life case study of how people’s meager patience with containment measures has run out, even as tens of thousands of people there have died of COVID-19.
The report said that Philadelphia’s reintroduction of the mask rule is based on the city’s coronavirus guidelines, which are different from those of the CDC. The masks were automatically activated as the number of new infections in the city rose to more than 100 a day, and more importantly, the number of new infections has risen by more than 50 percent in 10 days.
“The truth is, I could be wrong — people could be laughing at me in two weeks,” Cheryl Bettigoli, the city’s health commissioner, said in an interview. But if I do it right and I succeed in saving lives, it’s worth the risk.”
CDC recommends that no special requirements are required to wear only a qualified KN95 in public places to achieve good protection
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