MSP Airport lifts mask mandate after court ruling causes confusion

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MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - After a confusing day for some flyers, that started with a federal judge striking down the CDC's mask mandate for public transportation, a spokesperson for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport says the airport is lifting its mandate.

The ruling by a federal judge in Florida on Monday voided the federal mask mandate requiring masks on planes and buses. The mandate was set to expire on Monday, but the Biden administration chose to extend the policy for two more weeks to allow more time to see the impacts of the BA.2 omicron subvariant.

The court decision, and initial lack of clarity from authorities, led to some confusion amongst flyers on whether they needed to continue to wear masks. Initially, MSP Airport said it would maintain its mask mandate until it received official guidance from the TSA.

After that guidance came down Monday night, MSP Airport issued a statement reading: "The Metropolitan Airports Commission announces a change to mask enforcement regulations inside terminals and other facilities at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and its six general aviation airports. Effective immediately, wearing masks will be optional after the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued guidance that it will no longer enforce mask-related regulations and will be withdrawing security directives that required face masks at airports, on aircraft, and other forms of public transportation."

With the court ruling, several airlines, including Delta, United, Sun County, Southwest, and American Airlines, announced they are making masks optional for customers.

FOX 9 also reached out to Metro Transit on Monday to see how the ruling would affect its mask policy. So far, Metro Transit has not announced a reversal of policy.