Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao says airline and travel workers have suffered ‘abuse’ for having to enforce mask mandates.
United Airlines on Monday said it will continue to enforce COVID mask mandates for employees and travelers despite a federal judge’s move to void the Biden administration’s mask mandate for travelers according to a report.
“The federal requirement that masks be worn on board aircraft and in airports remains in effect for both customers and employees, despite the decision by a federal judge on Monday that struck down the federal mask mandate,” United said in a statement shared by airline business reporter David Slotnick on Twitter.
The ruling refers to a decision by U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in a case brought in Florida federal court by Health Freedom Defense Fund, Inc. and frequent air travelers Ana Daza and Sarah Pope against the administration.
Orlando International Airport (iStock)
Judge Mizelle determined that the mandate violated the Administrative Procedure Act by being outside the scope of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) authority, was “arbitrary” and “capricious” and not going through the required notice and comment period for federal rulemaking.
CDC EXTENDING TRAVEL MASK MANDATE 15 MORE DAYS
The federal mask mandate went into effect in February 2021 and it has been extended multiple times. Last week the CDC said it was extending its travel mask mandate until May 3 amid a minor uptick in COVID-19 cases.
A United Airlines flight. (iStock / iStock)
When the Transportation Security Administration, which enforces the rule for planes, buses, trains and transit hubs, extended the requirement last month, it said the CDC had been hoping to roll out a more flexible masking strategy that would have replaced the nationwide requirement.
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United said it is awaiting additional information from the federal government on whether it will challenge the ruling or rescind the order.
“Until that time, the airport mask policy remains unchanged,” the airline said. Fox Business reached out to United Airlines for comment but the company did not respond by press time.
Fox News’ Ronn Blitzer and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
