Masks No Longer Required On NJ Transit: Murphy

NEW JERSEY - Masks are no longer required, nor will be enforced, on New Jersey public transportation following a federal void of the national mask mandate in public transportation settings.

Gov. Phil Murphy made the announcement that NJ Transit and South Jersey Transportation Authority will no longer require face masks early Tuesday morning, less than a day after a federal judge voided the federal mandate and hours after the Transportation Security Administration said it would drop it.

“Individuals may wear a mask based on personal preference, informed by personal level of risk,” Murphy wrote.

Regular cleaning measures will continue, a spokesperson for NJ Transit told Patch.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle said the CDC's order exceeds the agency's statutory authority, according to CNBC.

"The court concludes that the mask mandate exceeds the CDC's statutory authority and violates the procedures required for agency rulemaking under the APA," the judge wrote, CBS News reported. "Accordingly, the court vacates the mandate and remands it to the CDC.

"Because our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends, the court declares unlawful and vacates the mask mandate," she wrote.

Mizelle, who has served in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida since Sept. 8, 2020, was nominated to the seat by former President Donald Trump.

Before Monday's ruling, people nationwide were required to wear masks in public transportation hubs like airports and bus stations as well as in taxis, airplanes, ride-share vehicles, ships, ferries, trains and subways. Ride-share companies like Uber have already dropped their mask requirement, but says it still strongly urges riders to use precaution.

The news comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its mask mandate, slated to expire May 3 due to the recent increase in the BA.2 omicron subvariant. It also comes on the tails of Philadelphia’s return to an indoor mask mandate after a jump in cases. Read more: Mask Mandate Return In NJ? 'Never Say Never,' Says Gov. Murphy

Cases nationwide soared in late January as the omicron variant of the coronavirus swept through Maryland and other states. On Jan. 14 the New York Times COVID tracker recorded over 804,000 cases of the virus across the country. On Sunday the national case count was just over 34,000.

On Monday, 901 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the state. New Jersey's seven-day case average is 1,691, up nearly 20 percent from last week and 161 percent from one month prior.

Murphy told News12 last week that he still expects a COVID-19 case increase from last weekend's holiday celebrations.

With reporting by Deb Belt and The Associated Press.