Houston Airports to Keep Mask Mandates in Place Despite Federal Judge Injunction

Apr. 18—A Tampa, Florida-based federal judge on Monday issued a ruling voiding national mask mandates on airplanes and public transportation, declaring the policies as overreaching on the part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The judge's 59-page ruling outlined a litany of reasons for the decision, ultimately opting in favor of a full nullification of the policy. The decision has left airports scrambling to clarify their individual standards regarding mask usage. According to KPRC 2's Aaron Fernandez-Wische, Houston's George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby airports have opted to continue requiring masks for travelers inside their facilities until they are provided "official guidance" directing otherwise.

The injunction follows last Wednesday's decision by the federal government to extend national mask mandates on planes and public transportation through May 3. The government has been reevaluating its mask directives on a near-monthly basis, and its latest extension marks its shortest interval at two weeks in duration.

Airline employees at all levels continue to press President Joe Biden to lift mask mandates for themselves and passengers in 2022. In March, the Southwest Airlines flight attendant union TWU Local 556 wrote a note lobbying the Biden administration to repeal the mandate and allow airline workers to make their own decisions regarding mask usage.

"We strongly believe it is now time to give our members and passengers the opportunity to choose if they prefer to wear a mask while flying," the union wrote in a letter addressed to Biden and federal regulators. "The number of physical and verbal assaults in our workplace has increased dramatically, many of which are related to mask compliance."

Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian appeared on CNBC's Squawk Box last Wednesday and likewise expressed his desire for federal regulators to ease mask mandates as flyers take back to the skies in historic numbers.

"I feel very strongly that the mask mandate should be lifted and let individuals, including our own employees, make their own decisions and take personal accountability for their health aboard our planes," Bastian said. "Candidly, it's time to let the masks go and let people decide."

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