(Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
Salem’s mass transit agency, Cherriots, is no longer requiring masks after a federal judge on Monday struck down a mask mandate on public transit and airplanes.
“Effective immediately, masks are encouraged but are now optional,” said Patricia Feeney, the agency’s communications director, in an email Tuesday morning.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had extended the federal mask mandate on airplanes, trains and mass transit until May 3. It was originally set to expire Monday.
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Florida ruled against the extension, saying the agency failed to justify its decision and follow proper rulemaking procedures, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Cherriots initially suspended bus service during the first weeks of the pandemic and has required masks since April 10, 2020. The agency’s busses were one of the last places masks remained required in Salem following the March 12 lifting of Oregon’s indoor mask mandate.
-Rachel Alexander
