Passengers toast to mask-free airplanes
“Would you like some champagne to go with that COVID?” (Photo: Christopher Oquendo for the DailyMail.com)
A little over a week ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended their travel mask requirement in the US till May 3 as it monitored a rise in cases. Last Monday, a federal judge (metaphorically) said, “F-ck masks,” and the rest followed.
When Trump-appointed US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ruled out masks, she cited an overstepping on the CDC’s part this time with the extension, as if viruses know anything about rules. Since then, several airlines, public transport systems, and even ride-sharing company Uber have dropped the mask requirement.
The New York Subway kept theirs. Delta (“the airline, not the virus,” as Forbes pointed out), called COVID-19 “an ordinary seasonal flu” (now retracted) when they announced the mandate’s end mid-flight last Tuesday. Then, they brought out the champagne.
What candle judges would hold over doctors and scientists in a pandemic is beyond us at this point. All we know is that while some people were happy about it, others were mortified.
Masking concerns concerning masks
But the CDC hasn’t been a reliable authority on mask-wearing, or COVID guidelines in general. A survey last February showed most Americans found their policies confusing, which could explain the long-running apprehension with masks. However, with faster, stealthier variants on the rise and no vaccines available for kids under five yet, the anxiety that comes with doing away with them altogether is very much founded.
Two days ago, the Department of Justice appealed to overturn Mizelle’s ruling after the CDC made a request. The CDC stated that “an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health.”
“In order to assess the potential impact the rise of cases has on severe disease, including hospitalisations and deaths, and health care system capacity, the CDC order will remain in place at this time,” the agency added.
India should serve as a cautionary tale. Milder symptoms cause people to forgo testing nowadays, but lately long COVID and its prevalence among 49% of survivors have been gaining buzz too—and rightfully so. Take it from me, a COVID-19 survivor of nearly two years, who still can’t smell chocolate right.
