Passengers and employees at Raleigh-Durham International Airport are no longer required to wear masks, as of April 18. | Pixabay
Passengers and employees at Raleigh-Durham International Airport are no longer required to wear masks, as of April 18. | Pixabay
Travelers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) can breathe a little easier — literally — now that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has lifted the mask mandate that was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
WRAL reported Tuesday that the TSA will no longer enforce the mandate at RDU.
“I was very excited,” traveler Janet Kazmer told WRAL after learning the mandate is no longer in place. “I think it’s long overdue.”
The change applies to both flyers and airport employees, RDU tweeted the night of April 18.
"RDU visitors and employees are no longer required to wear a mask at the airport, effective immediately," the tweet said. "The TSA will no longer enforce the security directive that requires airport guests and employees to wear masks.”
People may continue to wear masks at the airport if they choose to, the airport officials said. WRAL reported that few people wore one today, other than to go through the security line, which requires being in close contact with others for a longer period of time.
“I see more people comfortable without wearing one,” Kazmer told WRAL. “Just in the regular parts of the airport, check-in counters, I see lots of people without them, but I think at least what I saw today when I boarded the plane, there was still the expectation that you wore one.”
RDU is not alone in the relaxation of face coverings requirements. The mandate was lifted nationwide by the TSA after a federal judge in Florida said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mandate was overreach, Travel + Leisure reported.
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