Although the US dropped its national mask mandate for travel, Canada will not be following suit, said Transport Minister Omar Alghabra..Alghabra was speaking in Calgary on Tuesday and said Canada will continue to follow the science on mask mandates, but did not comment on the US court ruling where a federal judge in Florida overturned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 14-month masking requirement, calling it “unlawful.”.Soon after the ruling, all major US carriers — including American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and the national train line Amtrak — dropped the mandates immediately..Masking requirements will remain in place in Canada for travellers..“The mask regulation is in place and it’s based on the advice that we received from our experts and doctors and based on data,” said Alghabra, adding, “It is proven that masks prevent or reduce the transmission of COVID.”.“There is no change in our regulation. Whenever the advice we receive changes because circumstances change, we will change our regulation. But for now, it is what it is.”.Travellers in Canada, whether by air, rail, road or boat, must wear a mask while in transit and while in Canadian airports..Conservative MP and transport critic Melissa Lantsman took to Twitter Monday with her thoughts on the US court ruling..“U.S. Judge overturns national mask mandate for planes, trains and buses. Meanwhile, in Canada almost six million Canadians still cannot travel,” she tweeted..“We are further and further out of step with the #endthemandates.”.In her ruling, District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, an appointee of former US President Donald Trump, said the CDC did not justify its decision and due to not following proper rule-making procedures, the mandate was “fatally flawed.”.She suggested the mask mandate be lifted for the entire country because it would be impossible to end it only for those involved in the original lawsuit filed in July 2021..US airlines lobbied for months to see an end to the mandates, arguing that effective air filtration on modern planes made transmission of the virus highly unlikely..“We are relieved to see the US mask mandate lift to facilitate global travel as COVID-19 transitions to a more manageable respiratory virus with better treatments, vaccines and other scientific measures to prevent serious illness,” Delta announced in a news release..The CDC last Wednesday announced an extension of its mask order through to May 3, citing the need to study the impact of the rise in cases and the new Omicron variant..White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called Mizelle’s decision “disappointing,” during a Monday press briefing..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandard.news
Although the US dropped its national mask mandate for travel, Canada will not be following suit, said Transport Minister Omar Alghabra..Alghabra was speaking in Calgary on Tuesday and said Canada will continue to follow the science on mask mandates, but did not comment on the US court ruling where a federal judge in Florida overturned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 14-month masking requirement, calling it “unlawful.”.Soon after the ruling, all major US carriers — including American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and the national train line Amtrak — dropped the mandates immediately..Masking requirements will remain in place in Canada for travellers..“The mask regulation is in place and it’s based on the advice that we received from our experts and doctors and based on data,” said Alghabra, adding, “It is proven that masks prevent or reduce the transmission of COVID.”.“There is no change in our regulation. Whenever the advice we receive changes because circumstances change, we will change our regulation. But for now, it is what it is.”.Travellers in Canada, whether by air, rail, road or boat, must wear a mask while in transit and while in Canadian airports..Conservative MP and transport critic Melissa Lantsman took to Twitter Monday with her thoughts on the US court ruling..“U.S. Judge overturns national mask mandate for planes, trains and buses. Meanwhile, in Canada almost six million Canadians still cannot travel,” she tweeted..“We are further and further out of step with the #endthemandates.”.In her ruling, District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, an appointee of former US President Donald Trump, said the CDC did not justify its decision and due to not following proper rule-making procedures, the mandate was “fatally flawed.”.She suggested the mask mandate be lifted for the entire country because it would be impossible to end it only for those involved in the original lawsuit filed in July 2021..US airlines lobbied for months to see an end to the mandates, arguing that effective air filtration on modern planes made transmission of the virus highly unlikely..“We are relieved to see the US mask mandate lift to facilitate global travel as COVID-19 transitions to a more manageable respiratory virus with better treatments, vaccines and other scientific measures to prevent serious illness,” Delta announced in a news release..The CDC last Wednesday announced an extension of its mask order through to May 3, citing the need to study the impact of the rise in cases and the new Omicron variant..White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called Mizelle’s decision “disappointing,” during a Monday press briefing..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandard.news