After a federal judge in Florida voided the government’s mask mandate for planes, buses and other means of transportation on Monday, Hawaii County’s mass transit system has dropped its mask requirements.
“On the Hele-On public transit system, we will let people wear masks as optional, not mandatory, until we are told otherwise by either the FTA (Federal Transmit Administration) or TSA (Transportation Security Administration),” confirmed John Andoh, County of Hawaii Mass Transit Administrator.
Indoor mask mandates and the Safe Travels program ended for Hawaii March 25 at midnight, making it the last state to lift the restriction.
Florida Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle’s 59-page ruling came shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week plans to extend their mask mandate an additional 15 days until May 13 for airplanes, trains, taxis, and other transit hubs. The ruling determined that the CDC exceeded its authority and had not followed proper rulemaking procedures.
The CDC had stated an extension would allow time to study the BA.2 Omicron subvariant, now responsible for a majority of U.S. COVID cases as well as 70% of Hawaii’s statewide cases.
According to a TSA statement released Monday, “TSA will no longer enforce its Security Directives and Emergency Amendment requiring mask use on public transportation and transportation hubs. TSA will also rescind the new Security Directives that were scheduled to take effect tomorrow.”
The voided ruling resulted from a lawsuit initiated in July 2021 by the Health Freedom Defense Fund along with two plaintiffs.
Southwest Airlines spokesman Brad Hawkins confirmed with the Hawaii Tribune-Herald Monday “effective immediately, Southwest employees and customers will be able to choose whether they would like to wear a mask, and we encourage individuals to make the best decision to support their personal well-being.”
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Frontier Airlines have all confirmed masks will be optional for passengers on all domestic and select international flights, effective immediately.
Mizelle, appointed by President Donald Trump, sent the issue back to the CDC “for further proceedings,” concluding “because our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends, the court declares unlawful and vacates the mask mandate.”
During a press conference following the announcement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the ruling “disappointing” and stated “the CDC continues recommending wearing a mask on public transit.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Email Grant Phillips at gphillips@hawaiitribune-herald.com