Justice Department will appeal federal judge’s order to void travel mask mandate

WASHINGTON (KUSI) – The Justice Department has announced they will file an appeal to overrule a Florida judge’s order from earlier in the week that dismissed the federal mask mandate on planes, trains, and in travel hubs.

The change came just minutes following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s request to the Justice Department.

A statement from the CDC said that the agency’s continuing assessment says that an indoor transportation corridor mask mandate is necessary for the public’s health.

The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal in Tampa’s federal court.

The Biden administration has the ability to ask the appeals court to grant an emergency stay for an immediate resumption of the mask mandate on public transit, but the administration has not yet confirmed a decision.

Just hours after Monday’s ruling, most major airlines, airports, myriad public transport systems, and Uber lifted their mask mandates.

An emergency decision of the lower court’s ruling would rattle travelers and transit workers, who have only just removed mask mandates for about three days.