BY: STAFF REPORT | BocaNewsNow.com
UPDATE: 9:07 p.m. ET — No official update from PBIA or MIA, but law enforcement sources tell BocaNewsNow.com that there is “no chance” either airport could enforce masks. “They didn’t do it when they were supposed to do it, they certainly can not do it now.”
UPDATE: United, Delta, Southwest, American, and Alaska Airlines just announced that masks are optional.
BROWARD COUNTY, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2022 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Just hours after a federal judge in Tampa struck down the transportation “mask mandate,” The Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport announced it is not waiting for clarification from the Biden Administration, the CDC, or any other agency.
In a tweet just before 9 p.m. Monday, the airport announced that is no longer enforcing masks. The airport cited TSA guidance, but that guidance has not yet been officially released to the public.
“Based on guidance from the Transportation Security Administration this evening, FLL is not enforcing the federal mask mandate,” wrote airport officials. “Please note that this is a developing situation. As such, the airport will update information on our social media and website accordingly.”
Note that airlines, as of 9 p.m. E.T. Monday, are still enforcing the mask mandate. They are allowed to set their own rules — many were enforcing mask use before the federal mandate went into place. It could take airlines several days to update policies throughout their systems and networks.
A federal judge Monday afternoon said that while the lawsuit seeking to overturn the mask mandate was a narrow request affecting a small group of people, there was no way to reset the rules without eliminating the entire mandate, so the entire mandate is gone. The judge did not correctly implement the mandate.
The CDC could appeal the decision.
