Covid in the United States: the American government appeals the cancellation of the wearing of the mask

Europe 1 with AFP 12:16 p.m., April 21, 2022, modified at 12:17 p.m., April 21, 2022

The US government announced on Wednesday that it is appealing the court decision that lifted the mandatory wearing of masks on public transport in the United States at the start of the week.

The Justice Department said it wanted to wait for the opinion of the country's main federal health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), before making a decision.

The CDC finally asked him on Wednesday to appeal, considering that wearing a mandatory mask in transport remained "necessary for public health" against Covid-19.

A restriction of CDC authority?

"In light of the CDC's assessment ... the Department of Justice has initiated an appeal process," said US Department spokesman Anthony Coley.

This appeal comes two days after a federal judge considered that the health authorities exceeded their prerogatives by requiring the wearing of a mask in transport, for example in planes, trains or even buses.

In the process, the country's major airlines abandoned the mask constraint, followed by the rail company Amtrak or VTC companies like Uber.

Some officials later worried that the move by a Florida-based magistrate would, if left unaddressed, result in curtailing the CDC's authority in the future.

But the call from the US government could complicate the situation, and possibly create tension for travelers if the obligation to wear a mask was finally reinstated, when it was already difficult to respect.

744 incidents related to the mask since the beginning of the year

Wearing a mask is a very sensitive subject, especially for stewards and flight attendants, who for two years have had to deal with the reluctance of many passengers, some becoming violent.

The agency in charge of air transport safety in the United States, the FAA, has still been reported to 744 incidents related to the mask since the beginning of the year.

"The CDC is of the opinion that at this time, an order requiring the wearing of masks indoors on transportation remains necessary for public health," they wrote in a statement.

“As we have already said, wearing a mask mainly brings a benefit in very crowded and poorly ventilated places,” they added.

The health agency said it would continue to continuously assess the health situation to determine whether such an obligation remains necessary in the future.

She had decided last week to extend the obligation to wear a mask on public transport at least until May 3. 

The United States is now again seeing an increase in the number of daily cases of Covid-19, linked to the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron.