Los Angeles County Ignores Court Order, Forcing Masks on Public Transit

Officials in Los Angeles County are the latest who have made it clear that they are not prepared let mask mandates become a thing of the past, enacting a public health order forcing people to wear masks on public transit and transportation hubs.

United States District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, a Trump-appointee, this week nixed the Biden administration’s federal mask mandate, deeming it illegal. She found that the mandate “exceeded the CDC statutory authority, improperly invoked the good cause exception to notice and comment rulemaking, and failed to adequately explain its decisions.”

“Because our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in the pursuit of desirable ends, the court declares unlawful and vacates the mask mandate,” she wrote.

However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made it clear that it is not giving up, giving Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) the greenlight to appeal the ruling, which ended forced masking.

“It is CDC’s continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health,” the federal agency said in a statement.

As a result, Los Angeles County officials are heeding to the CDC, requiring individuals to wear masks on “all forms of public transportation in LA County,” including buses, trains, and taxis. This rule also extends to all indoor transportation hubs in LA County, “including airport and bus terminals, train and subway stations, seaports or other indoor port terminals, or any other indoor area that serves as a transportation hub.”

Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer is attributing the decision to the CDC, simply stating that “they are experts.” The statement is reminiscent of White House press secretary Jen Psaki’s retort to Fox News’s Peter Doocy this week, essentially suggesting that one must be a doctor to understand the discrepancies of inconsistent mask rules.

“They made a determination that at this point having that requirement in place is necessary for the public’s health, and that resonates with us,” Ferrer said.

Los Angeles County officials are not the only individuals heeding to the CDC, as the Port Authority is continuing to enforce mask rules at New York airports, and Chicago’s O’Hare has also suggested it will continue to enforce forced masking.

However, it remains unclear just how these entities are enforcing these rules, as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is not enforcing the Biden administration’s mask rule at this time.