Los Angeles REINSTATES masks on transit despite federal court striking down federal rules

Los Angeles will again require face masks to be worn on transit despite a federal order striking down the rule, while Philadelphia scraps its indoor mandate as Democrat-led cities continue to flip-flop between Covid rules.

Health officials in the Californian city said they were bringing back coverings today for trains, buses and planes in line with advice from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which says they are still ‘necessary’.

Barbara Ferrer, its health director, said: ‘They are the experts. 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.’

It is despite a Florida-based federal judge striking down the CDC’s order on Monday, saying the agency had ‘exceeded’ its authority. The Department of Justice is appealing the move. 

Philadelphia was blasted when it brought back coverings for schools, restaurants and public buildings on Monday, with even scientists who previously backed the orders warning against the move.

But yesterday the mayor dropped the compulsory requirement, saying they would now be ‘strongly recommended’ in indoor public places such as schools and trains. Philadelphia’s Covid infections are now double the levels when the mask mandate was imposed, while hospitalizations are up by about a third.

New York currently require face masks to be worn on public transport. Both San Francisco and Boston have dropped their mandates.

Covid cases in America have remained flat over the past week, but deaths are plummeting, down 29 percent to 363 per day – the lowest daily death figures since August.

Cases are ticking up in 41 states compared to two weeks ago, with the fastest increases in Michigan (up 184 percent), Kansas (up 169 percent) and Nebraska (up 134 percent). Mississippi, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kentucky, South Carolina and Texas are all seeing drops in infection rates.

Philadelphia has today announced it will drop its indoor mask mandate, instead only ‘strongly encouraging’ their use. Pictured: NBA fans wear masks while watching a game at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center

‘EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Due to a recent leveling-off of case counts and a decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the City, masks are strongly recommended, but are no longer required in public indoor settings, with the exception of healthcare and congregate settings,’ Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health wrote on Twitter.

‘The Health Department strongly recommends residents & visitors wear a mask in indoor public settings, and get vaccinated and/or boosted if you’re eligible. Thank you, Philly for stepping up once again and responding to this pandemic with solidarity and care for each other.’ 

Revealing the end of Philadelphia’s mask mandate yesterday, a spokeswoman for mayor Jim Kenney said: ‘Due to decreasing hospitalizations and a leveling of case counts, the City will move to strongly recommending masks in indoor public spaces as opposed to a mask mandate. 

Which cities have re-instated and dropped mask mandates? 

A federal judge in Florida struck down the mask mandate for public transport on Monday, saying the CDC had ‘exceeded’ its authority.

But several cities in the country are still requiring the coverings to be worn. They are listed below.

Masks required:

Los Angeles: From today, the Californian city has re-instated face masks on its public transport. Health officials there say they are following CDC guidance.

New York: Masks are still required on public transport in the city despite the federal order striking down the ban. Some public buildings also still require the coverings.

Masks dropped:

Philadelphia: The city of 1.5-million dropped its mask mandate for public buildings just four days after re-imposing it. Authorities said they were able to do this because of falling hospitalizations and ‘flat’ cases.

San Francisco: Masks were dropped on its public transport on Thursday, three days after the federal judge struck down the rule. 

Boston: This city dropped its mask mandate on Tuesday, a day after the federal judge’s ruling. Health officials here are still urging residents to wear the masks.

‘Given the latest data, the Board of Health voted to rescind the mandate.’

Philadelphia announced it was imposing the mask mandate on April 11, just over a month after it dropped the previous order, citing a surge in Covid cases and concerns how these would affect its more vulnerable communities. 

Hospitalizations in the city have also jumped since the mandate was announced, with officials announcing last Monday that there were 46 hospitalized patients in the city. According to most recent data – 65 Philadelphians are now hospitalized with Covid, a 40 percent jump.

Covid deaths figures are near-zero in the City of Brotherly Love, with less than one resident succumbing to the virus every day. 

Dr Leana Wen, a health policy expert at the George Washington University in the District of Columbia,who has previously supported mask mandates, warned at the time that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) clearly had Philadelphia ‘in the green’.  

‘With readily available and effective vaccines, why aren’t we switching from case counts to the better metric of hospitalizations?’ she said.

On Thursday, Los Angeles became the latest to announce it would reimpose face masks on public transport from Friday.

Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the order was based on the CDC’s recommendation that mask wearing on transit remained an ‘essential step’ to preventing the spread of Covid.

‘They are experts,’ she told reporters during an online briefing. ‘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.’ 



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