Apr. 20—After wearing a disposable face mask on his flight from Fort Lauderdale, Hugh Edwards felt comfortable enough to pull it down around his neck while in the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport terminal Tuesday afternoon.
About half the passengers on his American Airlines flight chose to wear masks, he said. On Monday afternoon, a federal judge voided a national mandate for airplanes and other transportation settings.
"Here I can actually walk away from a crowd," Edwards said of the terminal. "On the flight there is no choice. You sit in your seat and breathe the same air that your neighbor is exhaling."
Edwards, who said he had a close friend die of the disease, has witnessed hospitals struggle to make room for COVID-19 patients. He is a traveling nurse at Concord Hospital currently.
"It is important for people to know why we had the mask mandate and why we no longer have the mask mandate and what is best for us," he said. "Before, a lot of people were fighting the mandates without knowing why we had it."
The airport announced on social media Tuesday morning that masks are optional for all passengers, guests and employees.
Most people in the terminal Tuesday — travelers as well as employees — were not wearing masks.
The change will not impact airport operations, said spokeswoman Christina Lawson in an email to the Union Leader.
It's too early to tell whether ending the requirement will boost passenger counts, Lawson said.
"We hope that the lifting of the mask mandate will lead to stronger consumer confidence and a robust summer travel season," she wrote.
The airport will continue to follow the safety, security and sanitary best practices that led to the airport being the first in New England to receive the Global Biorisk Advisory Council's certification, Lawson said.
The airport's carriers — American, Southwest, Spirit and United — have made the use of masks optional.
Additionally, Manchester Transit Authority no longer requires masks.
"We do recommend mask wearing while in the bus, but they are not required," a Facebook post read.
At the airport, Julie Spencer of Nashua hadn't heard of the mandate being lifted. She decided to keep her mask on as she headed to Ohio with a layover in Philadelphia on American Airlines.
"I feel more comfortable with it on, especially being in a closed space," she said. "There are a lot of people I don't know."
She felt a little uncomfortable knowing a lot of people will choose not to wear one.
"I will have mine on so that will make me feel a little better," Spencer said. "You just don't know the vaccination status of all those around you and you are in tight quarters on a plane. I know they say they've increased their filtration systems, but everybody has flown on a plane and gotten a cold later on and said, 'Ah, I got it from someone on the plane.'"
Outside baggage claim, Matt Piscatelli kicked back with his feet on a coffee table. He was not wearing a mask. He is in town from Charlotte for his work as regional business manager for M.A. Ford Manufacturing Co.
He found out about the lifting of the mandate in the middle of the flight and decided to take it off.
"I've got all my shots," he said. "I feel pretty good about it."
He said he has tried to exercise caution throughout the pandemic. He hopes lifting the mandate will help with herd immunity.
"I've lived a fairly normal life since it all started," he said. "I followed the guidelines."
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