The United States Senate approved this Tuesday a resolution aimed at repealing a federal rule that requires wearing a mask to prevent the spread of covid-19 on planes and other forms of public transport.
The rule will almost certainly not be approved in the Lower House, where Democrats have a majority, and the White House has already warned that President Joe Biden could veto it.
The resolution was promoted by Republican Senator Rand Paul, a fierce defender of individual freedom who believes that the Government should have a minimal role.
The measure was backed by 57 senators, including eight Democrats, while 40 rejected it. Only one Republican, Senator and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, voted with Democrats to keep masks on public transportation.
Some Democrats voted in favor of repealing the norm because they consider that wearing or not wearing a mask is a decision that corresponds to citizens at this time of the pandemic, although they recognize that wearing a mask helps stop the spread of covid-19.
At the beginning of the month, the Biden government announced the renewal until April 18 of the rule that requires wearing a mask on public transport, in force for months.
The restrictions imposed by the pandemic have been easing for weeks in the US, where more and more states have been rescinding the rules that made the use of the mask mandatory in closed places and no longer ask for proof of vaccination to enter shops or restaurants.
At the end of February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also relaxed their recommendations on the use of the mask, considering that the population living in areas with fewer infections can stop using it.