President Joe Biden is weighing on whether he believes Americans should still wear masks on flights.
During a trip to New Hampshire on Tuesday, Biden was asked, “Should people continue to wear masks on planes?”
“That’s up to them,” he responded.
Watch the video below:
Reporter: "Should people continue to wear masks on planes?"
— The Recount (@therecount) April 19, 2022
Biden: "That's up to them." pic.twitter.com/SyEg4WUzxu
Biden’s comments come after Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizell struck down his administration’s mask mandate for public transportation, as IJR reported.
As The New York Times notes, “In her ruling, Judge Mizelle adopted a narrow interpretation of the authority Congress granted to the C.D.C. to issue rules aimed at preventing the interstate spread of communicable diseases.”
“The law says the agency may take such measures as it deems “necessary,” and provides a list of examples, like ‘sanitation.’ The judge wrote that this power was limited to things like cleaning property — not requiring people to take hygienic steps,” it adds.
Shortly after the decision on Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called it “disappointing” and said the administration is “continuing to recommend people wear masks.”
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it will no longer enforce the mask mandate on planes or other forms of public transportation.
Additionally, major U.S. airlines such as Delta, United, American, and Southwest announced that masks will be optional on flights.
Biden’s response to the end of the mask mandate was different than his message after the COVID-19 vaccine-or-test mandate for larger businesses was struck down.
“As a result of the Court’s decision, it is now up to States and individual employers to determine whether to make their workplaces as safe as possible for employees, and whether their businesses will be safe for consumers during this pandemic by requiring employees to take the simple and effective step of getting vaccinated,” he said in a statement in January.
Biden added, “I call on business leaders to immediately join those who have already stepped up – including one third of Fortune 100 companies – and institute vaccination requirements to protect their workers, customers, and communities.”
