Universities reinstate mask mandates amid COVID surge

• American University announced last week it would reinstate its mask mandate in all Washington, D.C., campus buildings starting April 12.
• It joined Columbia, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins and Rice universities, which have also recently reinstated mask policies, according to the New York Times.

The big picture: The highly transmissible BA.2 subvariant of Omicron has sparked concerns about a possible surge.

• An average of more than 31,000 new COVID cases across the country were detected as of Sunday, per the Times.
• The new wave of university mask mandates comes after several prominent Washington officials tested positive after the Gridiron dinner last week.

But, but, but: A federal judge on Monday struck down the Biden administration's rule mandating masks on planes, trains and other forms of public transportation.

• Shortly thereafter the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that it would stop enforcing the rule.
• The four largest airlines in the U.S. as well as a slate of companies — including Uber, Lyft and Amtrak — have dropped their masking requirements in response to the ruling.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.