Earlier this week, a federal mask mandate for mass transportation was lifted — and two local public transit officials say it's time.
Gene Olson is director of the Peoria International Airport. Following the lifting of the mandate on airplanes, Olson made the decision Monday night to no longer require masks inside the Peoria airport building and terminals.
While the federal mandate was lifted a bit faster than Olson expected, he said he personally feels safe flying mask-less
"I'm vaccinated, boosted ... I'm not really personally that worried about it," he said. "I also had COVID last October. The vaccinations did what they were supposed to do. I still got sick, but it was not terrible."
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Olson himself is an experienced pilot, and he said planes have excellent air filtration and air exchange systems.
"The air inside the cabin is being filtered constantly and is being replaced constantly," he said. "All the vents are up high, and all the exhaust vents are down low. So the air is constantly going from head to toe. You're seeing most of the air filtered out of the airplane that way."
Riders of mass transit in Peoria also will no longer be forced to wear masks.
Following guidance from Gov. JB Pritzker following the lifting of the mandate on Monday, CityLink dropped its mask mandate on all buses and other shared vehicles, said spokesperson Emily Watson.
Riders have the ability to crack windows open on buses if they prefer more air filtration while riding, said Watson, notingr riders and drivers can still mask if they'd like.
"I think that the operators are probably, for a majority of them, are relieved to no longer have to be required to wear a mask," she said. "Because that is a long day for someone to have to wear a mask, when you're driving for 8 to 10 hours a day."
Though the mandates are going away, both Olson and Watson are encouraging riders to be courteous.
"We know that wearing a mask right now seems like it's very much about what makes you more comfortable. But you also do need to be aware, and courteous to those around you," Watson said. "Especially if you're riding on a bus and ... you're not able to maintain that social distance of six feet. If you're not feeling well, you know, please mask up."
Olson said he hopes lifting the mask mandate will lead to a decrease in "unruly passenger incidents" that have risen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
