President Joe Biden’s federal mask mandates are still forcing children to wear masks on buses, despite the fact that several blue states this month announced plans to lift state-sanctioned mask mandates in schools.
Several governors this week announced plans to drop mask mandates for children in schools. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D), for example, is ending mask mandates for school children in March, as is Delaware Gov. John Carney (D). Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) is also lifting the state’s school mask mandate, announcing on Wednesday it will not extend beyond February 28.
However, while some governors are simply kicking the mandates to the local level, children will still not be completely free of masks, as Biden’s federal regulations still require children to wear masks on buses.
“School buses are subject to federal masking regulations,” Alyana Alfaro, a spokeswoman for Gov. Murphy’s office said.
New Jersey’s Freehold Regional High School District also emphasized this point in an email to families.
“It is important to note, the end of the mask mandate does not relate to school buses,” it wrote, citing the federal requirement that “masks be work on public transportation remains in place.”
“This means that while riding on a school bus, a mask must still be worn,” it wrote.
Similarly, Massachusetts state education commissioner Jeffrey Riley explained that children will be required to wear masks on buses due to federal regulations, despite the state lifting the school mask mandate February 28.
Needless to say, this federal requirements stands across the board, applying to every state, even those that are lifting their school mask requirements.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) masks are required for public transportation conveyance, which it describes as “any mode of transportation other than a private vehicle.” That includes “airplanes, trains, subways, buses, taxis, ride-shares, maritime transportation, trolleys, and cable cars.”
While Biden initially promised “just” 100 days of masking, he has gone far beyond that point and has shown no signs of lifting the federal mask requirement for airplanes or buses, continually extending it. It is currently scheduled to end March 18, but the White House has shown no signs of lifting it early. Additionally, neither the White House nor the Department of Transportation responded to a request for comment from Breitbart News regarding the matter.