GOODER AND HARDER: LA County to order return of masks on public transit, ride share and LAX despite federal rules.

“In response to Mizelle’s ruling on Monday, public transportation agencies across Los Angeles County announced that masks would become optional, including aboard Metrolink commuter trains and on Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses and rail lines. Los Angeles International Airport and Hollywood Burbank Airport also announced that masks were optional.

[Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer] said the county’s renewed order, which will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, will reinstate mask orders in all of those settings. The rule will not apply to people aboard airplanes, which are beyond the county’s jurisdiction.

She said she feels “really, really sorry” that the new county order will likely create confusion among residents feeling a sense of “whiplash” due to rapidly changing rules. But she noted that the CDC never changed its recommendations regarding mask-wearing on public transit, and said the Florida court ruling was made by “a federal judge with little experience in public health” who questioned the CDC’s authority.

Flashback: Woman Dictating LA County Shutdowns Isn’t a Medical Doctor, Paid More than $500K.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia takes the opposite tack: Philadelphia will end indoor mask mandate again, days after it was reinstated.