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Uber, Lyft no longer requiring masks for drivers, passengers

Airlines and airports lifting mask mandates after federal court ruling 02:33

Uber and Lyft announced Tuesday that they are lifting the requirement that its riders and passengers wear masks, this in the wake of a federal judge's ruling that masks should no longer be mandatory on public transportation. 

The rideshare giants said that riders and drivers would not be required to wear masks.

"Remember: many people still feel safer wearing a mask because of personal or family health situations, so please be respectful of their preferences," the company wrote on its website.

A spokesperson for Lyft confirmed to CBS News that masks were now optional while riding or driving with the company. 

"We know that everyone has different comfort levels, and anyone who wants to continue wearing a mask is encouraged to do so. As always, drivers or riders can decline to accept or cancel any ride they don't wish to take," the spokesperson said.  

On Monday, a federal judge in Florida struck down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's requirement mandating masks on planes and public transit, ruling that it exceeded the authority of U.S. health officials.

Response to the ruling was swift. The Transportation Security Administration said it would no longer enforce the mask requirement, as did several airlines.

Locally, however, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) was still requiring masks on its buses and trains.  

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