Masks are now optional on public transportation. But is it safe for you to go maskless?

WASHINGTON (7News) — Reaction to the lifting of the federal transportation mask mandate ranged from celebration to concern to confusion – and 7News is on your side trying to help clear up the confusion part.

Although the mandate has been lifted, wearing masks is still recommended by the CDC and Metro when riding transportation and using transit stations and hubs.

“Metro moving towards optional mask wearing is in no way a statement against wearing a mask,” said Theresa Impastato, chief safety officer for Metro. “And we will continue to make masks available throughout the system for our customers.”

Metro began its mask mandate on May 18, 2020 – long before the Biden administration had the CDC begin the federal travel mandate in February 2021. 7 News asked Metro why it decided to end its mandate after Monday’s court decision instead of trying to continue it.

“When the TSA announced that there would no longer be enforcement of the mandate, we believed that it was the appropriate time to pivot our response towards guidance encouraging mask wearing, and really empowering personal health choices for our customers,” she said.

The TSA decision following a federal judge’s ruling Monday throwing out the federal mandate affected far more than public transit systems like Metro – it also applies to airports and planes.

Clint Henderson, managing editor of the travel website The Points Guy, says although some fear being on a plane with people not wearing masks, most planes have excellent air filtration.

“In general, planes have been found to be fairly safe,” Henderson told 7News. “It’s just the jet bridges, boarding gates, TSA security lines where you don’t have that kind of filtration helping you out.”

Impastato says Metro has excellent filtration in its buses and trains also.

“All air within our train cars and our buses is fully exchanged with fresh outdoor air approximately every three minutes,” she said, adding that during the pandemic: “We’ve increased the sensitivity of the filters to filter out smaller particles including viruses in the air.”

Henderson says the new rule could create some confusion for international air travelers who may be going to a country that does require masks in transportation settings.

“If you’re traveling to a place that has an indoor mask mandate, the airlines are likely to make you wear a mask on those flights,” he said.

Doctors 7News spoke with say if you wear the right kind of mask the right way, you can lessen your chances of getting Covid even if you are near someone not wearing a mask on public transit.

“If the mask is fitted well, and it’s a good quality mask that [hasn’t had] days of wear – because they do wear out – then you can protect yourself with a mask,” said Dr. Stuart C. Ray with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “It’s possible to avoid infection even if you’re near someone who is infectious.”

“The paper medical masks are preferred over the cloth masks,” said Dr. Sameer Ismailjee with Holy Cross Germantown Hospital. “You have it above the bridge of your nose and then covering under your chin.”

Impastato says N95, KN95, and KF94 are some of the highest quality masks for protection from Covid.