BEAUMONT, Texas — Two years later, as people now prepare to board their flights, a mask is the last thing they'll have to worry about.
A Florida judge struck down the mask mandate Monday, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was planning on extending.
The judge said the CDC failed to provide sufficient evidence that masks are still needed.
The justice department announced Tuesday that if the CDC deems that masks are needed, it would appeal this new ruling.
RELATED: Judge's mask ruling may not be final say, Justice Department says
For now, it looks like masks will remain optional.
People remain divided over this decision. Some people say it's about time and for others, it's too soon.
Health expert Dr. Qamar Afreen said people need to understand the risk if they decide to take the mask off.
“The argument could be that you know the planes have got a better filtration air handling system and all given everything aside, but it does not eliminate altogether the risk of you catching a COVID from a fellow passenger,” Afreen said.
Southwest Airlines released a statement encouraging individuals to make the best decision to support their health.
Afreen said some people should definitely wear masks.
“The people who need to wear masks, definitely people who are at high-risk. People who don't have vaccines,” Afreen said. “People who feel like, of course, if they are sick or they could have COVID, they should wear masks to prevent the spread.”
According to WebMD, and a real-world study last year in Bangladesh, people 50 to 60 years old are 23% less likely to test positive for COVID-19 if they wear masks. For people older than 60, it goes up to 35%.
“We have a lot of people vaccinated a lot of people with herd immunity,” Afreen said.
While COVID-19 numbers are still low, Arfeen is encouraging people to still take precautions when needed.
The new mask ruling also includes trains and Uber. Uber is making the masks optional but is encouraging masks in certain situations.