US back to seeking Mask Mandate as COVID case counts surge

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#USA, January 23, 2023 – The resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the United States is so concerning to the Government that they are now asking the courts to overturn a ruling that allows passengers on Federal transport to go mask-less.

The US Centers for Disease Control instituted an order mandating mask wearing on public transport in January 2021. That order was struck down by a federal judge on April 18 last year against the CDCs wishes. The agency continued to recommend that masks be worn in these areas but is unable to enforce that rule.

On Tuesday the Justice Department appealed the ruling seeking to once again give the CDC the power to implement the nationwide control.

The mandate had stated that with an exception to school busses “All passengers on other public conveyances (e.g., airplanes, ships*, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, ride-shares) traveling into, within, or out of the United States (including U.S. territories) as well as conveyance operators (e.g., crew, drivers, conductors, and other workers involved in the operation of conveyances), regardless of their vaccination status, are required to wear a mask over their nose and mouth.”

Currently there are no longer any states requiring people to wear masks in public places; arguments for the appeal have already been heard by a judge and the county is waiting for a decision. The United States has the highest recorded death toll from the respiratory disease globally despite its relatively small contribution to the global population.

If the ruling is overturned not only would it be a step backward from the personal responsibility rhetoric that the US has adopted so far, it will have effects for people traveling to the US as well; picking up a mandate that has been long abandoned legally by many countries but that is still medically advised by health authorities.

The Turks and Caicos recently extended its vaccine mandate for visitors; the travel entry requirement was due to expired on December 31, 2022 but is now extended to March 31, 2023.