A federal judge in Florida today struck down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mask mandate for airline flight and other travel, just days after the agency extended it by 2 weeks to assess activity related to the BA.2 SARS-CoV-2 subvariant.
In global COVID-19 developments, Shanghai's outbreak continues at a brisk pace, and cases in India are rising.
Next steps unclear for mask mandate
In an order today, US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle said the mandate exceeded the CDC's statutory authority and that its implementation violated administrative law, according to CNN. It's not clear how quickly the change will take effect or if the Justice Department will file an appeal that might stall the ruling.
The mask mandate for airlines, trains, and other public transport was originally set to expire today, but on Apr 13 was extended until May 3.
Since the middle of 2020, airlines had been requiring face coverings as part of efforts to curb the spread of the virus. Shortly after taking office, the Biden Administration issued an order requiring masks in all transportation settings.
In other US developments:
- Congress will resume debate this week on a $10 billion aid package, according to the New York Times.
- The CDC's vaccine advisers, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, will meet on Apr 20 to discuss COVID-19 vaccine booster doses. On Fox News Sunday yesterday, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, said Americans over age 60 should get a second booster shot, and he told ABC News that a second booster dose for those ages 50 to 59 was a "much closer call."
- The 7-day average of daily COVID-19 cases is 35,315, along with 476 daily deaths, according to the Washington Post Over the past week, daily cases rose 15%, hospitalizations fell 2%, and deaths declined by 17%.
Fatal cases reported in Shanghai
China today reported 23,362 local cases, 20,639 of them asymptomatic, according to the country's National Health Commission.
Officials also reported three COVID deaths, all in Shanghai. Despite rising cases in the country's Omicron surge, Chinese officials have reported very few deaths.
Of the latest daily symptomatic cases, 88% are from Shanghai, which is beginning its fourth week in lockdown amid a surge in cases. Of the latest asymptomatic cases, 96% were from Shanghai.
India sees uptick
Elsewhere, India's cases are up for the first time in a month, according to Reuters. Cases today doubled compared to the day before, and Kerala state in the south reported a rise in deaths.
The country's cases have been rising over the past few days, and some areas, such as the Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, have started tightening restrictions.
In other global developments, the latest seroprevalence findings from a study commissioned by Indonesia's health ministry suggests 99.2% of Indonesians on its most populous islands have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, according to Reuters. The study of 2,100 people took place in March on Java and Bali.
The level was a 6-percentage-point increase from December, and officials said levels were likely higher in the most recent survey owing to broad booster dose rollout.
