Ending the Public Transportation Mask Mandate: Legal and Ethical Perspectives

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, Americans have been required to wear face coverings while traveling by train, plane, bus, or other public transport. That changed when a federal judge in Florida ended the nationwide mandate, raising two important questions:

Two new commentaries on To the Point dive deeper into these pressing issues. Health law expert Timothy S. Jost explores the legal rationale for the judge’s decision, while Commonwealth Fund President David Blumenthal, M.D., explores the ethics of the decision, and the potential for the outcome to “determine whether the great American democratic experiment can survive.”