Masking policy roundtable
Mass transit riders wear masks as they commute in the financial district of lower Manhattan, Tuesday, April 19, 2022, in New York. The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs. The notice came minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the Justice Department to appeal the decision handed down by a federal judge in Florida earlier this week. AP Photo/John Minchillo
Many Illinois transit riders and passengers chose to forgo masks for the first time last week after the federal mask mandate was lifted on public transit, in airports and on planes. However, many questions about the future of the pandemic remain. While the Biden administration defended the mask mandate based on the Public Health Service Act, Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who ended the mandate, said the face coverings did not qualify as "sanitation" under the law. The ruling has sparked concerns that undoing the mandate on these grounds could diminish the power of the CDC and public health officials to impose guidelines. The safety of elderly and immunocompromised groups without the protection of masks also remains a major concern.
To answer questions on best masking practices and the current state of the pandemic, The 21st was joined by a public health administrator and the managing editor of a public health-focused reporting collaborative.
GUESTS:
Dr. Awais Vaid
Deputy Administrator and Epidemiologist, Champaign-Urbana Public Health District
Christine Herman
Managing editor, Side Effects Public Media
Where should masks be worn? What you need to know about the latest mask guidelines https://t.co/ZtDDkRy9oj
— The State Journal-Register (@SJRbreaking) April 21, 2022
Prepared for web by Owen Henderson
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