Where do you want to travel? Go there!
After months of warning all travelers to avoid a long list of countries due to "very high" COVID-19 levels, the CDC has removed all countries from its "Do Not Travel" list.
The federal agency on Monday removed 89 countries from its "Do Not Travel" list. The highest Level 4 designation will now be reserved for "special circumstances" reflecting a dangerous spike in COVID cases, a new variant or health care infrastructure collapse.
While the Level 4 list had at one point included well over 100 destinations, there are currently no Level 4 countries.
Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 classifications continue to be based on a 28-day incidence or case counts.
Countries with a "high level of COVID-19" are considered Level 3. Travelers who are not fully vaccinated are still advised to "avoid travel" to these destinations, but the warning does not apply to fully vaccinated visitors. Travelers with weakened immune systems are urged to check with doctors before visiting.
Mexico was in Level 4 when I went there in February. Then again, so was most of the United States at that time.
This land you want to visit? Fly there!
The federal government said Monday passengers traveling on airplanes and other forms of public transportation won't be required to wear a face mask for now after a federal judge in Florida voided the mandate.
The decision Monday by U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa says the federal mask mandate exceeded the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which failed to justify the order and didn't follow proper rulemaking procedures...
A Biden administration official said the ruling means that, for now, the mask mandate is not in effect. Federal agencies are reviewing the decision and assessing potential next steps, the official said, but the Transportation Security Administration will not enforce the mandate at this time...
United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines announced that masks would be optional on domestic flights and in airports, "effective immediately."
Meanwhile, a statement from Amtrak said its trains would continue to enforce the mask mandate.
"As we have seen with the vaccine mandates, these court decisions are subject to review on appeal. Pending further information from TSA and (the Federal Railroad Administration) about their mask mandate guidance, Amtrak’s mask mandate remains in place," the statement reads.
And for those Chicken Littles who still insist the 'rona-sky is falling, well, they won't believe data anyway:
Over and over, journalists and public officials have made fools of them proclaiming the success of mask mandates in some state or nation — whereupon Covid would promptly surge to unprecedented levels among the masked population. Some of these maskaholics will never learn, but they should at least be required to look at a graph prepared for City Journal by Ian Miller. It compares the trajectory of Covid throughout the pandemic in states with mask mandates versus the states without mandates — and shows that the masks made no difference. He also compares Germany, where almost everyone wore high-quality masks, with Sweden, where few citizens bothered to wear anything on their faces. Again, no difference in the Covid toll.
I've been showing such graphs for two years.
Update, 4/19/22: Amtrak has backtracked, breathe free on the train. No matter where you are, take in a deep breath so you have lots of air with which to laugh at these cuckoobirds:
The 5 Most Unhinged Responses to the End of the Travel Mask Mandate
Biden administration will appeal ruling that lifted Covid mask mandate on travel
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