A federal judge in Florida has struck down the national mask mandate for airplanes and other public transportation, arguing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) overstepped its authority.  
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said the CDC improperly failed to justify its decision and did not follow proper rulemaking. 
Judge Mizelle said the CDC had exceeded its authority with the mandate, had not sought public comment and did not adequately explain its decisions.  It has triggered a huge wave of violent clashes on planes across the US among passengers who want to be masked and others who've removed the coverings. 
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, said the CDC improperly failed to justify its decision and Getting around in Greece did not follow proper rulemaking
The judge sent the issue back to the CDC. It was not clear whether the judge's order would take immediate effect and the Transportation Security Administration's order for the mask mandate appeared to still be in effect.
The TSA and Federal Aviation Administration declined to comment. The White House and best private tours in athens greece Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not immediately comment.  
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the ruling a 'disappointing decision' during her briefing Monday afternoon and advised Americans to continue wearing masks on public Transport In Greece. 
'The CDC continues recommending wearing a mask in public transit,' Psaki said.   
The ruling could create confusion on airplanes where the mask mandate has caused a surge in incidents and altercations between airline officials enforcing the mandate and passengers rejecting the demand they cover their faces. 
The Federal Aviation Administration said that since January 2021, there have been a record 7,060 unruly passenger incidents reported - and 70% involved masking rules. 
Airlines for America had last week urged the Biden administration 'to lean into science and research, which clearly support lifting the mask mandate. It makes no sense to require masks on a plane when masks are not recommended in places like restaurants, bars or crowded sports facilities.'
The group, which represents major U.S. passenger airlines, did not have an immediate comment on Monday's ruling. 
told its employees Monday that the mask mandate 'remains in effect for both customers and employees, despite the decision by a federal judge on Monday that stuck down the federal mask mandate.'
'We await additional information from the federal government on whether it will challenge the ruling or rescind the order,' United wrote in a memo to employees. 'Until that time, Getting around in Greece the airport mask policy remains unchanged.'
A man wears a mask  in San Diego Airport, San Diego, California Monday after a federal judge strikes down the mask mandate for public transportation
Passengers exit a train at 30th Street Station as the indoor mask mandate is reinstated to prevent the spread of COVID-19, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday
In Judge Mizelle's 59-page ruling Monday, Transport In Greece Mizelle suggested that the mandate - in which non-complying travelers are 'forcibly removed from their airplane seats, denied board at the bus steps, and turned away at the train station doors' -- was akin to 'detention and quarantine,' CNN reported. 
Mizelle said the only remedy was to vacate the rule entirely because it would be impossible to end it for the limited group of people who objected to it in the lawsuit.
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The judge said 'a limited remedy would be no remedy at all' and that the courts have full authority to make a decision such as this — even if the goals of the CDC in fighting the virus are laudable. 
'Because our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends, the court declares unlawful and vacates the mask mandate,' she wrote.  
It is unclear when or how quickly the ruling will be implemented at airports or train stations across the country or if the Justice Department will attempt to block the ruling and file an appeal, CNN reported.  
There was no immediate word on whether the government will appeal.  
People wait to board an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle from San Diego Airport, San Diego, California on Monday 
The mandate requiring face masks on airplanes, the subway, greece transportation trains, buses and athens transport other forms of public transportation, was recently extended by the CDC until May 3, 2022
United Airlines told its employees Monday that the mask mandate 'remains in effect for both customers and employees, despite the decision by a federal judge on Monday that stuck down the federal mask mandate'
The mandate requiring face masks on airplanes, the subway, trains, buses and other forms of public transportation, was recently extended by the CDC until May 3, 2022. 
This is to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus that is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the U.S. 
The mask requirement for travelers was the target of months of lobbying from the airlines, which sought to kill it. 
The carriers argued that effective air filters on modern planes make transmission of the virus during a flight highly unlikely. Republicans in Congress also fought to kill the mandate.
Critics have seized on the fact that states have rolled back rules requiring masks in restaurants, stores and other indoor settings, and yet COVID-19 cases have fallen sharply since the omicron variant peaked in mid-January. 
The mandate extension is to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus that is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the U.S. 
It is unclear  how quickly the ruling will be implemented at airports or train stations or if the Justice Department will attempt to block the ruling and file an appeal, CNN reported
The lawsuit was filed in July 2021 by two plaintiffs and the Health Freedom Defense Fund, described in the judge's order as a nonprofit group that 'opposes laws and regulations that force individuals to submit to the administration of medical products, procedures and devices against their will.'  
Earlier this month, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned airline passengers not to be a 'jerk' as record fines were levied on two unruly passengers.  
'Look. It's one thing to be grumpy on a flight. I feel that way sometimes,' Buttigieg said during an appearance on ABC's The View. 'But yeah, it's another thing to endanger flight crews and to endanger fellow passengers. We have no tolerance for Transport In Greece that. The FAA is actually getting ready to announce record fines on people who have done this.'
'If you're on an airplane, don't be a jerk,' he advised. 'Don't endanger your fellow passengers.' 
The FAA imposed its zero-tolerance mandate when unruly passenger incidents escalated around the time of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. 
Incidents remained elevated after President Joe Biden's administration imposed a mandate requiring passengers to wear masks on airplanes and in airports because of COVID-19 cases in February 2021.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned airline passengers not to be a 'jerk' as record fines were levied on two unruly passengers on Friday
On Monday, the CDC dropped its 'Do Not Travel' COVID-19 recommendations for about 90 international destinations.
Last week, the CDC said it was revising its travel recommendations and athens guided tours said it would its reserve Level 4 travel health notices 'for special circumstances, such as rapidly escalating case trajectory or extremely high case counts.' 
The countries and others regions dropped to 'Level 3: High,' which still discourages travel by unvaccinated Americans, include the United Kingdom, France, Israel, Turkey, Australia, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Russia. 




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