5. Flight attendants sued to stop CDC mask mandate
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Unpopular among some Americans during the pandemic, mask mandates hit the courts several times and on several fronts over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a particularly notable case, nine flight attendants representing six airlines sued the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on March 24 over its air travel mask mandate, claiming masks are ineffective, cause breathing trouble and that the policy was difficult to enforce.
The lawsuit further claimed the mandate raised constitutional concerns and violated the federal rulemaking process.
The story on the lawsuit was the fifth most-read workers compensation-related article this year on Business Insurance’s website.
The flight attendants’ lawsuit was part of a surge in legal challenges to COVID-19-related mandates, including one filed March 28 by attorneys general in 21 states.
A Florida judge, in a ruling April 17, said the U.S. mask mandate on public transportation was unlawful. The decision overturned the Biden administration’s effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by requiring travelers to wear masks on airplanes and trains and in taxis, ride-share vehicles, as well as in transit hubs.
The U.S. Justice Department appealed that ruling days later.
In related news, on Oct. 31 the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a separate ruling that allowed the Transportation Security Administration to require mask-wearing on planes, trains and other forms of transportation.
