CDC reiterates need for masks on planes and trains amid fears of rising Covid cases

The national mask mandate has been struck down, but government officials are still urging travelers to take protective measures.

US health officials have restated their recommendation that Americans mask up on public transportation as Covid-19 cases rise again throughout the country.

Travelers in the US are no longer required to wear masks on airplanes and trains after a public transportation mask mandate that dated back to the beginnings of the pandemic was struck down by a judge in Florida in April.

The CDC asked the US Justice Department to appeal the ruling ending the mandate, but the appeal is still ongoing. In the meantime, case numbers have been rising steadily since mid-April — when many remaining COVID restrictions, including the public transportation mask mandate, were lifted.

There is strong evidence, including from Puerto Rico, that the recent uptick in Covid cases is linked to the repeal of measures designed to curb the spread of the virus.

The US recorded more than 60,000 Covid cases on Monday for the first time since February, and, given the prevelance of at-home tests that are often not reported, that number is likely an undercount.

The current Covid surge is being fuelled by subvariants of the Omicron variant of the virus that accounted for a massive spike in cases over the winter. Dr Deborah Birx, who led the White House’s coronavirus response taskforce under President Donald Trump, said recently that another larger surge will likely hit the south in the summer before hitting the north in the winter.

Now, of course, many Americans have some protection against the virus. Roughly 70 per cent of Americans ages five and older are fully vaccinated, though considerably fewer — just 30 per cent of the total population — have also recieved a booster shot.

A majority of Americans are believed to have antibodies against the virus as well. According to CDC data, nearly 60 per cent of adults and some 75 per cent of children have already been infected with the virus.

Protection from antibodies, however, is believed to wane after a period of four to six months — setting the stage for new Covid infections and spikes. Though vaccinated individuals are at significantly less risk of being hospitalised with or dying from Covid, the risk of longterm illness reamins a threat to upend the lives of people who get infected.

It is in part due to that outlook that the CDC is recommending that people continue to wear masks on public transportation, including in airports and train stations.