The Senate passed a resolution Tuesday that would eliminate extended federal regulation requiring mask on public transportation, including planes, trains and subways.
Passing by a margin of 57-40, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) was the only Republican Senator to oppose the measure, while eight Democrats crossed the aisle to join Republicans in passing it.
The resolution only needed to pass by a simple majority in the Senate, and was not subject to the 60-vote filibuster.
"This is a free country. If someone wants to wear a mask on a five-hour flight from one American city to another, there is no reason they can’t do that," said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MI) at a press conference leading up to the vote.
"But the testimony we’ve had in the Commerce Committee, from the airline industry and from scientists is that airline air is the safest air that Americans can breathe indoors, anywhere."
The bill will not head to the House, however it's unclear if Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will even allow a vote according to NBC News.
The Biden administration last week extended the requirement for masks on public transportation through April 18. When they extended it, they said that the CDC will "work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor."
In other pandemic news, Hillsborough County, Florida will end its State of Emergency over Covid-19 after the positivity rate fell from 9.7% last June to 2.9%.
The decision was based in part on research which found that "masks had little to no impact on the spread of the virus," according to News9.
via zerohedge
