Utah joins mask mandate lawsuit against federal government

Mar 30, 2022, 8:40 AM | Updated: Aug 2, 2022, 12:40 pm

FILE: People wait to check-in at the Qatar Airways counter amid coronavirus fears at Miami International Airport in March, 2020. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

BY AIMEE COBABE

Former Senior Reporter

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has joined 20 other states in a lawsuit against the federal government’s mask mandate.

The lawsuit claims the mask mandate on planes and other public transportation is illegal and goes beyond the authority of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control in states that have banned mask mandates.

The effort is being led by Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis.

“It’s turned the airlines into having to police this,” DeSantis said. “It’s created a lot of unruly passenger situations because it’s so frustrating for people.”

Previous challenges to the mask mandate have gone nowhere in the courts.

The complaint seeks to end the mask mandate and establish a permanent injunction against its enforcement, according to a press release from Governor Desantis’ office.

The CDC recently extended the rule until April 18. But it’s unclear whether it’ll be extended or adjusted again.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.

Health

Candles are lit and left on the steps after a family of five were murdered in their home in West Va...

Annie Knox

Week of tragic anniversaries calls attention to family killings in Utah

This week holds devastating anniversaries for three communities across Utah, each with a family shot and killed in domestic violence.

9 hours ago

Verl Johansen

Code Blue alerts helping reduce frostbite injuries at U of U Health Burn Center

Doctors are warning people to watch out for frostbite as we enter winter's coldest months. They're also calling Code Blue alerts a success.

1 day ago

FILE - Electric Time Co. employee Walter Rodriguez cleans the face of an 84-inch Wegman clock at th...

Heather Peterson

Daylight saving time under fire again in Utah legislature

Every year when the clocks change, lawmakers are flooded with calls from their constituents asking for an end to daylight saving time.

2 days ago

A 1-day-old baby boy's heel is pricked for blood during a newborn screening in Washington state. A ...

Verl Johansen

Utah lawmaker wants to add PDCD test to newborn screening program

Sen. David Hinkins, R-Ferron, said he became interested in PDCD after a family reached out to him about their experience.

2 days ago

JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer

FDA bans red dye No. 3 from foods

Food and Drug Administration announced that the dye Red No. 3 has been banned.

3 days ago

The Huntsman Cancer Institute's second mobile cancer screening clinic was officially opened on Mond...

EMILY ASHCRAFT, ksl.com

Mobile cancer clinic opens to help detect cancer earlier, save lives in rural Utah

PAYSON — Karen Huntsman said she would do anything to spread the message that early cancer detection saves lives — and that includes personally riding on a cancer screening bus she helped launch on Monday. Speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the mobile cancer screening clinic in Payson, Huntsman noted that her husband’s mother died […]

4 days ago