LAUSR

In January 2021, the Biden administration issued an executive order that required individuals to wear face masks when using public transportation, including airplanes, trains, city buses, and ride‐share vehicles to “save lives and allow all Americans, including the millions of people employed in the transportation industry, to travel and work safely.” On April 18, 2022, a federal judge in Florida ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could no longer enforce the mask mandate. As a result, individuals were permitted to use their discretion regarding the use of masks while traveling on any form of public transportation. The ruling calls into question the authority of the CDC to make decisions regarding public health protections, which may have far‐reaching implications. This mandate was overturned at a time when only 66% of the US population were fully vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and approximately 18 million children under 5 years of age were ineligible to receive the vaccine. The discontinuation of the mask mandate places marginalized populations—including those employed in the transportation industry as well as those who primarily depend on public transportation for their daily commute—at higher risk for COVID‐19 infection. Finally, the ruling minimizes the devastating impact of the pandemic in the United States and ignores the significant surges in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths associated with COVID‐19 variants that could continue to plague us for months or years to come.