No More Masks on Planes? Federal Judge Strikes Down Biden’s Mandate Extension

April 18 was supposed to be the day when the mask mandates were set to expire for all public transportation. Then, it appeared that President Biden authorized the mandate’s extension for another two weeks. Now, a federal judge has thrown out the extension.

According to The Wall Street Journal,

A federal judge in Florida on Monday declared that the Biden administration’s Covid-19 mask mandate for public transportation is unlawful, invalidating a regulation that required travelers in the U.S. to wear masks on airplanes, trains, taxis, buses and other forms of public transit.

Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who serves the middle district of Florida, said that the mandate extension exceeded the authority granted to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The lingering federal mandate is the reason why Disney Park Guests and all other travelers still need to wear masks on airplanes and is quite possibly the reason masks are still required on Disney World buses and The Walt Disney World Monorail System–the last two places face coverings are mandatory for Guests on property.

Related: Masks Now Optional on Select Disney World Transportation

We at Disney Fanatic recently shared that Biden was extending the nationwide mask mandate set by the CDC and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) that all passengers and employees wear a face mask indoor public settings regardless of vaccination status. While some states still practice a mask policy across the United States, there is no such statewide mask mandate in Florida.

WSJ states that the Justice Department was reviewing the ruling but declined to comment at this time. If Judge Mizelle’s ruling is upheld by higher courts, setting new precedence, airlines and their flight attendants will no longer be able to fall back on federal support to force passengers from wearing face coverings. Travelers will still be able to wear masks at their own free will while traveling.

It could also be speculated that the end of federal mask mandates could lead to the end of the need for face masks on Disney buses and monorails, which could be the first domino of the last line of Disney’s covid-inspired restrictions to fall. Those other restrictions include the lack of Park to Park bus transportation and Park Hopping prohibited until after 2 pm.

Related: Review: My First Completely Maskless Day at Disney World Since 2020

In the meantime, thousands upon thousands of Disney World Guests continue to use air travel as their primary mode of transportation, constantly filtering in and out of Orlando International Airport (MCO). At the same time, thousands upon thousands of others visit the Disneyland Resort in California via Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and other surrounding airports.

We at Disney Fanatic will continue to update our readers on this news as more information comes to light.