(CNN) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is doubling down on its authority to issue a mask mandate for U.S. travelers.
In April, a district court struck down the mandate, a move that blocked the federal government from implementing it nationwide.
Tuesday, the CDC asked an appeals court to reverse that decision.
The agency argued that masks are an effective way to prevent the spread of communicable disease.
It also defended its authority to issue the mandate, pointing to vaccine mandates that have been upheld by the Supreme Court.
As of now, the U.S. does not have a federal mask mandate, and no emergency order has been filed to enforce one.
About a third of the U.S. population lives in areas that are considered at higher risk, officials said. (CNN, NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, CDC, WHITE HOUSE)
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