Should You Wear a Mask Anyway as Federal Mandates Are Dropped for Airports, Airlines?

With the removal of the federal mask mandate on public transportation, whether and when to mask has become largely a personal choice. 

Changes in the trajectory and impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and shifts in messaging from authorities can make the decision harder.

Although much of the U.S. no longer requires people to wear masks in indoor public settings, there are still scenarios where wearing a mask could be beneficial, public-health and infectious-disease experts say. Factors that help determine whether you should consider masking include local Covid-19 levels, where you are going and your underlying health conditions, as well as the risk to others.

Good ventilation can help clear the virus from the air, filtering out virus-carrying particles known as aerosols that are created when an infected person coughs, speaks or breathes. But it isn’t often easy to tell how well a space is ventilated.