(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - The Alaska Department of Transportation announced on April 19, 2022 that face masks are no longer required on Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) vessels or inside AMHS terminal buildings.

A recent federal court order ended the US DOT mask requirement for public transportation. AMHS staff and passengers may choose to continue wearing masks, and the CDC continues to recommend that people wear masks in indoor public transportation settings.

A U.S. District Court Judge in Florida on April 18th struck down a federal mandate requiring mask use on public transportation and at transportation hubs.

On April 19, the U.S. Department of Justice released a statement from spokesman Anthony Coley: “The Department of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disagree with the district court’s decision and will appeal, subject to CDC’s conclusion that the order remains necessary for public health. 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. That is an important authority the Department will continue to work to preserve."

The Center for Diseas Control on April 20 announced that it had asked the U.S. Department of Justice to proceed with an appeal of the court ruling, as 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."

Wyoming-based Health Freedom Defense Fund in July 2021 filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the CDC mandate, according to a New York Times report. Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, a U.S. District Court Judge in Florida, issued a decision on April 18, 2022, declaring the mandate “unlawful”. While Mizelle noted that it is “indisputable that the public has a strong interest in combating the spread” of COVID-19, the “[m]andate exceeded the CDC’s statutory authority. … Because our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in the pursuit of desirable ends … the Court declares unlawful and vacates the [m]ask [m]andate.”



On the Web:

Health Freedom Defense Fund, Inc, ANA Carolina Daza, and Sarah Pope V. Joseph R. Biden, Jr, in his official capacity as President of the United States, et al. (pdf 59 pages)

Edited By: Mary Kauffman, SitNews



Source of News:

Alaska Dept of Transportation
dot.alaska.gov

Health Freedom Defense Fund

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