The US Federal Government is to appeal against a court ruling that struck down the mandatory wearing of face masks on airlines and public transport systems.
Since Tuesday, it has no longer been a legal requirement to wear face masks on shared transport in the USA. However, the Centers for Disease Control, the federal agency in charge of combating public health threats, wanted to reinstate its legal power to issue mask mandates.
On Monday, a federal judge in Florida ruled the CDC was acting beyond its legal powers in imposing mandatory mask wearing on airlines and public transport systems.
The ruling had immediate nationwide effect. On Tuesday morning, airlines, train companies and bus and taxi operators dropped the requirement for passengers to wear masks.