Just hours after a Florida judge struck down a federal mask mandate on planes and other forms of public transportation, major airlines announced Monday that they will no longer require face coverings on domestic flights. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will also stop enforcing the mandate for now: A Biden administration official told reporters… read on > read on >
A federal mask mandate for planes, trains, airports and some bus services that was set to expire in five days will be extended until May 3, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. The spread of the Omicron subvariant BA.2 — which now accounts for more than 85% of new coronavirus cases… read on > read on >
Just weeks after dropping masking rules, some overseas airlines have canceled hundreds of flights as they struggle with staffing shortages related to COVID-19. This comes as the leading U.S. airlines have urged the Biden administration to scrap a mask mandate for passengers. Swiss airline EasyJet removed its mask mandate on March 27, after the United… read on > read on >
America’s roads are getting ever more dangerous for pedestrians, a new study finds. During the first six months of 2021, there was a 17% increase in pedestrian deaths in the United States — and that just continues the sharp increase seen over the previous 10 years, the researchers noted. There were over 3,400 pedestrian deaths… read on > read on >
Electric scooters may be a boon for the environment but not so much for riders. A surprising study finds that the injury rate in one Los Angeles neighborhood for riders of e-scooters topped that for users of motorcycles, bicycles and cars nationwide. “There are millions of riders now using these scooters, so it’s more important… read on > read on >
A two-year advisory that warned Americans against going on cruises has been dropped by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency first warned Americans against cruise ship travel in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, and last year said there was an increased risk of getting infected when on the crowded… read on > read on >
The U.S. government’s mask mandate for people on planes, trains, ferries and other modes of public transportation has been challenged in a lawsuit filed by 21 states on Tuesday. The mask mandate exceeds the authority of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Tampa, Fla.,… read on > read on >
Warm summer nights may leave you tossing and turning in bed, but that could be the least of your worries. Just a slight rise in summer nighttime temperatures increases the risk of heart-related death for men in their 60s, a new study shows. “Considering the growing likelihood of extreme summers in Western USA and the… read on > read on >
Climate change is prompting longer pollen seasons and higher pollen counts, which spells trouble for people with seasonal allergies, allergists warn. “Allergy seasons have been changing in North America and across the globe, and we see greater changes the further you get from the equator,” explained Dr. Kara Wada, an allergist immunologist at Ohio State’s… read on > read on >
U.S. airline companies want an end to mask and COVID testing rules for air travel — and many top infectious disease and public health experts agree with them. The chief executives of the country’s largest airlines asked President Joe Biden in a letter this week to let federal mask mandates at airports and on planes… read on > read on >
