Canada Keeping Mask Mandates for Airplanes Despite US Ruling

Canada isn’t ditching its mask rules for airplane and train passengers, at least not yet.

A U.S. federal court judge on Monday quashed the U.S. masking law. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the States then announced it would no longer enforce masking rules on airlines.

Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra on Tuesday gave no indication that the Trudeau government plans to drop its masking requirement for air and train passengers in Canada in the near future, according to the CBC.

“We constantly consult our experts and whenever the advice that we receive changes because the circumstances change, we will change our regulation,” he said. “But for now, it is what it is.”

The minister’s comments came after a federal judge in Florida struck down a Biden administration requirement that passengers wear face coverings on airplanes and mass transit.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) failed to justify the mask mandate and did not follow proper regulatory procedures, the CBC states.

Soon after her ruling became public, the TSA announced it would no longer enforce mask rules on plans. American airport and airlines then quickly their mask requirements for passenger.

“Masks are proven to provide additional layers of protection and we will continue to follow the advice of our public health experts,” Alghabra said today. “I take no joy in these regulations except to know they are done to protect everyone’s health and safety.”