Florida Attorney General (AG) Ashley Moody filed the complaint on March 29, alongside 20 other states represented by their respective AGs. Defendants named in Moody's lawsuit include Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Transportation Security Administration head David Pekoske and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
The 20 other states that served as co-plaintiffs are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.
"Faced with a government that displays outright disdain for the limits on its power, especially when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, plaintiffs seek vacatur of that mask mandate and a permanent injunction against its enforcement," the suit stated. It added that the 21 plaintiffs are sovereign states that have "the authority and responsibility to protect [their] public fisc and the health, safety and welfare of [their] citizens."
The lawsuit put forward three points to bolster its petition to drop the CDC's "unlawful" mask mandate for public transportation.
First, states are being forced to "expend resources to enforce the mandate" under risk of civil and criminal penalties from Washington. Second, the mandate "harms plaintiffs' sovereign interests" as it conflicts with laws or policies "prohibiting or discouraging mask requirements in contexts where the mask mandate applies." Third, the CDC's face covering requirement "harms the plaintiffs' quasi-sovereign interests in the health, safety and welfare of their citizens."
It cited the negative repercussions of making face coverings mandatory for toddlers, which include "psychological harms, reduced oxygenation, reduced sanitation and delayed speech development."
First announced in January 2021, the CDC's mask mandate for public transportation took effect the following month and was set to expire in March. However, health officials extended it until at least April 18. (Related: CDC issues nationwide mask mandate for travelers.)
Florida leading the way once more on the issue of health freedom
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proceeded to denounce the CDC's mask mandate during a March 29 press conference at the state capital, Tallahassee, where Moody was also in attendance.
"If you look at what's going on around the country and in Florida, we've been very clear that we want people to be able to make their own decisions. We don't believe in COVID theater," said DeSantis, adding that "forcing people to wear masks on airplanes is not something that's grounded in any science."
According to DeSantis, the mask mandate hurts Floridians who depend on tourism. "We're the No. 1 state people seem to want to come to. I think more people would want to fly if they did not have to [mask up]," he commented.
"Florida has led the nation in standing up to misguided federal government policies and fighting back against heavy-handed mandates that have no scientific backing. If politicians and celebrities can attend the Super Bowl unmasked, every U.S. citizen should have the right to fly unmasked. It is well past time to get rid of this unnecessary mandate and get back to normal life."
The Sunshine State's lawsuit against health officials in the Biden administration followed an open letter by a coalition of 10 major U.S. air carriers. The March 23 letter addressed to President Joe Biden urged the chief executive to rescind "federal transportation travel restrictions," including pre-departure COVID-19 testing and mandatory face coverings, "that are no longer aligned with the realities of the current epidemiological environment."
"The science clearly supports lifting the mask mandate, [and doing so] in airports and onboard aircraft can be done safely. It makes no sense that people are still required to wear masks on airplanes – yet are allowed to congregate in crowded restaurants, schools and at sporting events without masks."
HealthFreedom.news has more stories about COVID mandates.
Watch this advertisement from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pointing out the double standards of COVID-19 mask mandates.
This video is from the SecureLife channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Group files suit over CDC's mask mandate for travelers.
Fauci says people will have to wear masks inside airplanes… FOREVER.
Airline CEOs call on Biden to stop with the inconsistent, draconian COVID air travel mandates.
Sources include:
MyFloridaLegal.com [PDF]
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