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At the urging of the CDC, the Department of Justice will appeal the ruling that overturned the mask mandate on planes.
But it is not really about the current mask order in my opinion - something I predicted and something which the CDC seemed to confirm yesterday in it's statement on the appeal.
“To protect CDC’s public health authority beyond the ongoing assessment announced last week, CDC has asked DOJ to proceed with an appeal,” it said in a statement.
“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 statement continued. “CDC will continue to monitor public health conditions to determine whether such an order remains necessary. CDC believes this is a lawful order, well within CDC’s legal authority to protect public health.”
Meanwhile at the White House, press secretary Jen Psaki added this: "The Department of Justice, as you noted, has indicated that they would appeal not just because they think it's entirely reasonable to have additional time to look at it but because they think for current and future public health crises we want to preserve that authority for the CDC to have in the future."
So how about you? If DOJ wins the mask appeal, will you put them on again?