A TCAT bus driving by Cornell's campus (credit: flyithaca.com).
On April 18th, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle blocked the federal mask mandate for public transportation, meaning masks will no longer be federally required on public transportation across the country. Accordingly, students may be surprised to find that, despite the court decision, masks are still required by TCAT, the busing system that services the Cornell area.
TCAT announced their intention to continue requiring masks following the court decision: “The state mandate is not affected by the April 18, 2022, federal court order vacating the federal mask requirement.”
At issue is the fact that while the Center for Disease Control’s requirement may be lifted, New York State’s health commissioner issued a determination, which continues to mandate masks on public transportation.
Additionally, other jurisdictions have kept their mandates. For instance, the MTA still requires masks on most public transportation. The requirement draws a stark contrast from other states, where masklessness was permitted almost immediately following the district court decision. On some airlines, the requirements were removed mid-flight; a move greeted with cheers from passengers.
In Ithaca, however, the mask theater goes on. While permitted to be maskless in most facilities and common areas, students will have to continue masking up on buses and in classrooms, where COVID-era mandates still linger.
