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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking the Department of Justice to proceed with its appeal of a ruling issued by a Florida judge on Monday which tossed out the Biden administration's mask mandate for public transportation passengers.
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS MASK MANDATE FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been criticized and mocked from all sides after a series of muddled messages have baffled Americans amid a record surge in COVID-19 cases and the spread of the omicron variant. (iStock)
"To protect CDC’s public health authority beyond the ongoing assessment announced last week, CDC has asked DOJ to proceed with an appeal in Health Freedom Defense Fund, Inc., et al., v. Biden, et al. It is CDC’s continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health. CDC will continue to monitor public health conditions to determine whether such an order remains necessary. CDC believes this is a lawful order, well within CDC’s legal authority to protect public health," the statement reads.
COVID MASK MANDATE: UBER, AMTRAK, AIRLINES DROPPING REQUIREMENTS FOR CUSTOMERS AND EMPLOYEES
A podium with the logo for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the Tom Harkin Global Communications Center on October 5, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said that it continues to recommend that people wear masks in "all indoor public transportation settings."
"CDC continues to recommend that people wear masks in all indoor public transportation settings. CDC’s number one priority is protecting the public health of our nation. As we have said before, wearing masks is most beneficial in crowded or poorly ventilated locations, such as the transportation corridor," the statement reads.
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FILE - Travelers walk through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Friday, April 1, 2022 in Seattle. On Monday, April 18, 2022, a federal judge in Florida voided the national mask mandate covering airplanes and other public transportation saying it exceeded the authority of U.S. health officials. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) (AP)
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said that it has filed a notice of appeal.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mask mandate applies to individuals as young as the age of two. The department recently extended it to May 3, as it was set to expire.
A number of U.S. airlines and transportation companies such as Delta, United Airlines, American Airlines, Amtrak, Uber all removed their mask requirements following Monday's ruling.
Fox News' Ron Blitzer and Julia Musto contributed to this report
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