Biden says it’s up to Americans to decide whether to mask up on planes –

Washington (AP) – The administration of President Joe Biden has been working for months to prepare the people. Check their personal risk calculations Because the country is accustomed to the idea of ​​living with endemic COVID-19.

But that measurable approach was suddenly lost when a federal judge on Monday denied a federal cross-dressing request when using mass transit. The decision added urgency to the notification challenge as the administration tries to tackle the virus before the by-election.

Since last month, the government has facilitated the use of closed face masks for most Americans – even in schools – masks on planes are one of the latest suspects regarding national restrictions on COVID -19. Now that politics has collapsed, the administration is stepping up its efforts to provide the best advice to the millions of people who are making their own personal safety decisions in an still dangerous pandemic.

This is both a public health requirement and a significant change for Biden’s political future.

“Now there is an opportunity, instead of saying it was a frustrating decision, they can say it is a good time to talk about how we will proceed with the pandemic risk assessment,” Dr Amesh Adalja said. , infectious disease specialist. And a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Safety.

“With COVID-19, I think we are immune to past infections, vaccines, testing and home care, so we can start managing it like we do with other infectious diseases,” he said.

Biden himself spoke about flexibility Tuesday when asked if Americans like masks on planes.

“It’s up to them,” Biden said during a visit to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. But his own White House still continues to require face coverage for those traveling with him on Air Force One, which refers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The move to less formal regulations was actually seen in the 100-page plan released by the White House Corovirus Response Team in February. At the time, administration officials hoped that children under the age of five could be vaccinated at this point, a move that would alleviate the concerns of millions of parents and provide a protective umbrella for almost. anyone in the United States wants.

The court order on Monday to remove the mask order came at a crossroads in response to the nation’s pandemic, just a year after all American adults were eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination. . The ordinance prompted government agencies and the White House to comply, but it did not prevent short -term confusion among travelers as airlines and airports denied mask requirements, in some cases mid -flight.

The administration stressed that Americans should still follow CDC recommendations, wear a face mask, even without a warrant. Biden’s spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the same thing hours before her “independent” comment.

The CDC continues to advise and recommend masks on airplanes. “We respect the recommendations of the CDC, as well as the president, and we urge all Americans to do so,” he said.

On Tuesday, Justice Department spokesman Anthony Cole said officials believe the federal mask order is “a valid authority given by Congress to the CDC to protect public health.” He said it was “an important authority that will continue to work to be maintained by the department.”

But he said the department would only appeal the decision if the CDC felt the mask mandate was still needed for public health. As of Tuesday night, the agency had not yet made a decision, officials said.

On Tuesday, Psaki noted that although the administration failed in the decision, it failed to comply with Congress ’failure to reach a compromise on additional funding, reinforcement, and anti-virus treatment for COVID.

“This is our biggest concern,” he said.

Facial coverage requirements, which have been shown to reduce the risk of infection, have become increasingly political in the United States in recent years, especially as cases and serious consequences are declining.

The continued mandate of public transportation and daily air travel has reminded many that a pandemic they want to end will still affect their lives, even if vaccination and antiviral treatment have greatly reduced their risk. For others who still fear the virus, each return to pandemic restrictions has caused new anger and, in some cases, criticism of the Biden administration.

“There are still a lot of people in this country who still want to wear masks or have immunocompromised relatives, have children under 5, whatever that is,” Psaki said.

The court decision on Monday expedited the result, which is expected to come in a few weeks. Many in the administration believe last week’s 15-day mask order extension will end on May 3. The Public Health Agency has requested more time to monitor whether the recent increase in infections is leading to hospitalization or death. This is not yet the case.

The court’s decision surprised the administration and forced it to understand its impact, both on the completion of the request and on the CDC government in the future.

“It took CDC scientists 15 days to make a firm decision based on more data,” Drs. Ashish Jham, the White House’s new COVID-19 coordinator, on Twitter. “We have to take it for them.”

The rise in cases and the flow of recent positive cases into Biden’s orbit – including second gentleman Doug Emhoff and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – is a strong reminder that the virus is not going away.

Biden, 79, was never identified as a “close contact” under CDC guidelines, the White House said, adding that officials strongly suggested he had been vaccinated against the virus and duplicated.

Controlling the virus that has killed 986,000 Americans has been Biden’s priority since he took office. The United States now has an average of about 35,000 confirmed cases per day, up from Omicron’s 806,000 increase in January, but slightly higher than about 26,000 a month ago. These rates, of course, are low because many people do not report home test results to public health authorities.

Associated Press writers Chris Megerian in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Michael Balsamo in Washington, contributed to this report.