Court ruling creates mishmash of transportation mask rules

By The Associated Press

A decision by a federal judge in Florida to throw out a national mask mandate in public transportation across the U.S. has created a patchwork of rules that vary by location. Passengers on a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York, for instance, could ditch masks at their departing airport and on the plane, but would have to put them back on once they get to New York. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had extended the mandate until May 3 to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus. The Biden administration said Monday the rule would not be enforced while federal agencies decide how to respond.