Emory infectious disease expert on COVID-19 mask ruling: we may see rise in cases

The country may soon see a rise in COVID-19 infections now that airlines have made masks optional. That’s according to infectious disease expert and Emory University Professor of Medicine Dr. Carlos Del Rio. He spoke with WABE’s Jess Mador just after a federal judge put on hold the nation’s transportation mask requirement on domestic flights.

Before the judge struck down the national mask mandate, a poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that a majority of Americans supported a mask requirement for airplanes and other shared transportation.

Del Rio says he learned that U.S. airlines were scrapping masks on domestic flights as he sat on a plane to London.