Portland International Airport Makes Masks Optional After TSA Change

Portland OR

18 April, 2022

7:42 PM

Description

PORTLAND, OR — Wearing a mask inside Portland International Airport is now optional, the Port of Portland announced late Monday. It's a reversal from earlier in the day when the plan was to keep the mandate in place. The developments came on the heels of a federal judge appointed by President Trump ruling that the CDC had overstepped its bounds by extending a mask mandate recently. Early Monday afternoon, the port had said that they would keep their mandate in place because it was required by the Transportation Safety Administration. A few hours later, TSA notified airports that because of the judge's ruling, they will not be enforcing the mask mandate. "We recognize that travelers and airport employees will have mixed feelings about this sudden change," the port said in a statement. "We ask that people be kind and respectful of a person's individual decision to wear a mask or not."