From the “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” file comes word that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is now mandating mask usage on public transportation.

Okay… But the CDC isn’t just mandating masks. It’s setting rules on what type of masks is acceptable to wear.

And, this being government, the specific requirements are buried in the footnotes:

A properly worn mask completely covers the nose and mouth of the wearer. A mask should be secured to the head, including with ties or ear loops. A mask should fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face. Masks do not include face shields. Masks can be either manufactured or homemade and should be a solid piece of material without slits, exhalation valves, or punctures. Medical masks and N-95 respirators fulfill the requirements of this Order. CDC guidance for attributes of acceptable masks…

But that is only the beginning of the requirements. There is an entire page of acceptable and unacceptable mask attributes, 

For those who run afoul of the mandate, the CDC has tapped the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to enforce it. 

You know, the TSA. These guys, who can’t seem to tell the obviously sick from the healthy, and have even less interest in protecting the health of their own agents.

One could easily, and rightly, put all this down to government over-reach. But it also looks an awful lot like the CDC, which covered itself with shame right from the start of the pandemic, is trying to play catch-up.

And doing so by giving the TSA, of all agencies, more power. Again, what could possibly go wrong?

Image Credit: Banej / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)