Cheers, fear as judge strikes down US transit mask mandate

By CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge’s decision to strike down a national mask mandate was met with cheers on some airplanes but also concern about whether it’s really time to end the order sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The major airlines and many of the busiest airports rushed to drop their requirements on Monday after a Florida judge struck down the CDC mandate and the Transportation Security Administration announced it wouldn’t enforce its 2021 security directive. Passengers on a Delta overseas flight cheered and applauded. But some airports, including those in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, recommended that people mask up voluntarily.