Ever repeat words so often they begin to lose their meaning? Federal health officials on Tuesday reiterated the recommendation that travelers should wear masks aboard planes, trains, and other public transportation settings—despite a judge’s April order that a nationwide transportation mask mandate be struck down. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “continues to recommend that all people—passenger and workers, alike—properly wear a well-fitting mask or respirator in indoor public transportation conveyances and transportation hubs to provide protection for themselves and other travelers in these high volume, mixed population settings,” agency director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement alongside the new-old recommendation. The notice comes the day—May 3—that the federal travel mask mandate had originally been set to expire after the CDC extended it on April 13, before being unceremoniously struck down five days later by a Trump-appointed federal judge.
