Masks: You're on your own, now
Travel companies, travelers rush to ditch masks, while health experts caution that omicron variants are getting even more transmissible in the USA
A federal district court judge’s ruling Monday declaring that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not have authority to impose mask requirements on interstate travel swept across the roads and skies. A flight attendant was spotted singing out for people to “throw away their masks” as she walked a jet’s aisles with a trash bag. At many airports, many people were simply confused about what to do.
There are a few key points:
Putting my legal hat on: The judge’s ruling is unusual in many respects, including that the judgement was rendered without hearing arguments on the case. Federal judges usually step cautiously before issuing decisions that have enormous impact. On the merits, the ruling seems to rely on an almost obviously incorrect interpretation of the word “sanitation.”
Mask Mandate Struck Down Because 'Sanitation' Doesn't Mean 'Keeping Things Clean' For... Reasons - Above the Law
From a practical standpoint, there’s likely no way that the transportation mask requirement will return. Unfortunately, the miscommunication about masks going back to the earliest days of COVID-19 created an atmosphere hostile to masks, specifically, and to the possibility that conditions might change and dictate changing precautions, too.
Many travelers Tuesday kept masks on, voluntarily. Considering different levels of virus from one region or country to the next, travel hubs are prime spots for infections to spread. The early waves of COVID-19 are ample proof of this. I know that I’m keeping a mask on when I travel next.
Even if they may be awkward or uncomfortable, there is a mound of evidence that shows masks reduce COVID-19 risk, especially for vulnerable people.
There have already been major innovations in mask design, and more are coming. Check out the federal government’s Mask Innovation Challenge for more. (I am a consultant to a contractor that supports BARDA, the federal office that is conducting the Mask Innovation Challenge.)
My take: If you are in an area where the vaccination rate is over 80% and infection rates are low, it’s probably ok to skip your masks. However, if you are in close quarters (such as a crowded indoor space) with people whose vaccination or infection status is unknown, consider putting a mask on while you are there. (Always check with your own physician or local health officials for health advice specific to you.)
Cornell Prof. Jay Varma, who advised New York City’s mayor when COVID-19 first emerged, says we should think about masks much like we think of umbrellas.
“When it's raining, one day and then sunny the next day, I don't take my umbrella and throw it in the trash. I put it away knowing that I'm going to have to put it back on again because it's going to rain again,” said Varma at a Science Writers of New York event.
The USA has recorded more than 986,000 COVID-19 deaths.
An omicron subvariant is blamed for rising COVID-19 cases, especially in the Northeast.
'Throw Away Your Masks': Flight Attendant Sings on Plane After Judge Ruling (newsweek.com)
Queen Elizabeth shared some of her own experience with COVID-19. Add this to evidence that it’s a disease to avoid.