Virginia has joined 20 other Rebublican led states in a lawsuit against the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to remove the mask requirements for planes, trains, buses and other public transportation.
The CDC’s order, which has been in effect since February of 2021, requires all people to wear a mask “on public transportation conveyances or on the premises of transportation hubs” to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Tuesday that Virginia will be joining a lawsuit filed by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to have the mandate lifted and blocked from being enforced, citing that the “mandate provides only thin reasoning in support of its requirements” and exceeds the agency’s authority.
“The CDC’s mask mandate on public transportation, like air travel, is scientifically unnecessary at this stage of the pandemic,” Miyares said in a statement. “Not only are the CDC’s mask mandates for public transportation an example of federal overreach, but they are outdated as states across the country have lifted mask mandates in other aspects of daily life.”
The other states filing with Florida and Virginia on Tuesday were: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and West Virginia. The mask mandate on public transit was set to end on March 18, 2022, but was extended through April 18.
The CDC has yet to respond to the pending lawsuit.