A federal judge in Florida blocked the renewed federal mask mandate on April 18 amid a nationwide surge of the new Omicron BA.2 COVID-19 subvariant. The mandate would have required individuals traveling by plane, train or public transport to wear face masks. The extended mask requirements were set to expire on May 3.

The extension, stemming from concerns over the easily transmissible variants, came as the United States prepared to cross the grim milestone of 1 million COVID-19 deaths. By targeting crowded, confined spaces with limited ventilation the mandate was seeking to reduce the number of new cases, hopefully reducing strain on health care facilities and limiting the overall harm that oncoming waves may bring.

US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ruled that the mandate exceeded the authority of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and was therefore not legal.

While the rates of hospitalization and death have decreased—seemingly dramatically—since the peak of the most recent waves of variants, the CDC reports that an average of 409 people per day are currently dying of COVID-19. There was also a 1.3% rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations from April 6 to April 12.

The federal mask mandate was blocked as much of the country continued to lift restrictions and began to return to the pre-COVID-19 way of life. The country’s 65.8% vaccination rate continues to slowly rise, offering protection from severe illness and death for more than 218 million Americans. The United States is the 15th most vaccinated country in the world but continues to face wave after wave of new variants, straining the economy, health care system and more.