The Justice Department will file an appeal of a Florida federal judge’s highly-criticized ruling to terminate mask mandates on planes and trains if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention deems reinstating them would be beneficial at this time, USA Today reports.
“The department continues to believe that the order requiring masking in the transportation corridor is a valid exercise of the authority Congress has given CDC to protect the public health,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “If CDC concludes that a mandatory order remains necessary for the public’s health after that assessment, the Department of Justice will appeal the district court’s decision.”
The transit mandate had been scheduled to be reviewed by the end of April to determine the need for it to be carried on.