This week, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, a Trump appointee in Florida with no medical expertise, decided to lift the federal Transportation Security Administration mask mandate.
We disagree with the court's decision and believe lifting the mask mandate is a mistake. The CDC has repeatedly stated that COVID-19 is an airborne disease, and vaccinations and mandated masking mitigated its spread. We have not reached herd immunity. Planes, trains, buses, and other forms of public transportation are confined spaces that can become super-spreader locations. In fact, COVID-19 came to the United States because of a plane trip.
The pandemic isn't over. Countless people are still suffering the debilitating consequences of long COVID, and thousands are still dying of COVID daily.
We support the Biden Administration and Justice Department’s decision to appeal and fight for the mask mandate to protect vulnerable Americans, including our children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.
