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    Here's why you might still want to wear masks on public transport

    Sure, you don't have to wear a mask on airplanes, buses and ride shares anymore, but you still might want to depending on the circumstances. Here's what experts say about the risks.
    by Will Stone Apr 22, 2022 5 minutes
    A train approaches the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Park Street Station in Boston on Thursday, April 21, 2022. Some transit agencies across the U.S. are clambering to adjust their masking requirements, while others are keeping the rules in place after a federal judge struck down the mandate for such coverings on planes, trains and other modes of public transportation.

    Just how likely are you to pick up a case of COVID-19 on that upcoming flight, bus commute or train ride?

    This is what many Americans are trying to gauge after a Florida judge's ruling halted the federal requirement to wear a mask on most forms of public transit.

    The Biden administration is appealing the court's decision, but for now masking has become entirely optional for U.S. travelers – leaving them to decide how risky travel is for themselves.

    "This was a legal decision — not a scientific decision," says Joshua Santarpia, a microbiologist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center who studies aerosol transmission of disease. "People should not take this as a sign that something has magically changed overnight."

    Infectious disease experts tell NPR they generally plan to keep covering their faces regardless of what the rules are. It's not as thoughrisk, though. Scientists say certain forms of transportation are more worrisome than others, and different legs of a journey can also present different risks.

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