US CDC says travellers should keep wearing face masks on flights

US travellers and tourists flying to America are being urged to continue to wear face masks on flights.

The latest advice from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was issued on Tuesday, a little more than two weeks since a federal judge ruled against the mandatory transportation mask rule.

“At this time, CDC recommends that everyone aged 2 and older — including passengers and workers — properly wear a well-fitting mask or respirator over the nose and mouth in indoor areas of public transportation,” said the health authority.

Last month, US Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Florida overturned a mandatory ruling on wearing face masks on planes and trains, stating that it exceeded the CDC's statutory authority.

Shortly after, the White House announced that the mask order was not in effect, and that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would not enforce the federal mask mandate at this time.

Several airlines chose to end compulsory requirements for travellers to wear masks on flights.

Delta, American Airlines, Southwest and JetBlue — the first major US airline to require all passengers to wear face coverings at the start of the global pandemic — announced that they were ending mask mandates on flights following the ruling.

A video showing passengers on a Delta flight from New York to San Francisco went viral when travellers took off their masks and celebrated after a flight attendant announced that “masks are completely optional this evening for all crew and passengers as well".

Reactions from the public to the ruling were mixed, with some people on social media welcoming the move, while others said it was premature or expressed concern for those not yet vaccinated or with compromised immune systems.

A day after the judge's ruling, Walt Disney World lifted the last of its mask requirements, meaning face coverings are optional for visitors at all locations on the central Florida Disney property.

“It is important for all of us to protect not only ourselves, but also to be considerate of others at increased risk for severe Covid-19 and those who are not yet able to be vaccinated,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on Tuesday.

“Wearing a mask in indoor public transportation settings will provide protection for the individual and the community.”

The US continues to battle the Covid-19 pandemic, with 404,930 new cases in the past week, according to data from Johns Hopkins. All states have now fully vaccinated at least 50 per cent of their population.

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How to invest in gold

Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.

A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.

Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”

Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”

Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”

By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.

You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.

You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.

FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)

Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)

Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)

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Key recommendations

Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.

Cricket World Cup League Two

Oman, UAE, Namibia

Al Amerat, Muscat

Results

Oman beat UAE by five wickets

UAE beat Namibia by eight runs

Fixtures

Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia

Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE

Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia

Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

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