The same day Philadelphia reinstated its indoor mask mandates, airports and planes went

maskless for the first time in two years.

A federal judge struck down a request to extend the federal masking rule calling it

unlawful.

The Department of Justice issued a statement saying it will appeal the judges ruling

if the CDC finds the mandate is still necessary to protect public health.

All this comes as more than 30 states are reporting a rise in COVID cases, but some public

health officials warn the official case numbers don't tell the whole story.

The CDC says 11% of surveyed Americans reported using an at-home COVID test during the

Omicron surge, but many who test positive at home never report the results.

Since Omicron, some states have closed massive testing sites and cut down on reporting daily

infections, hospitalizations and deaths.

But we have a new sub variant in town, BA2.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it's now the dominant COVID strain in

the U.S.

So if we have another wave, will we be prepared?

And how should we navigate a new world of maskless transportation?

We're discussing the latest on the BA2's sub variant of Omicron and the public health

response to the recent rise in cases.

Joining us is Dan Diamond, a health policy reporter at the Washington Post.

Dan, good to have you back.

Jen, it's great to be back.

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