At first blush, the first full day of the federal mask mandate for public transportation Tuesday didn't seem altogether different from the several months leading up to President Joe Biden's executive order to help combat the coronavirus pandemic.
People already have been required to wear masks in the major public transportation modes in Arkansas since last spring by state and local edicts. By and large, people have complied, officials said.
"It hasn't been a problem" for people to wear face coverings at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field in Little Rock, executive director Bryan Malinowski said Tuesday.
The state's largest airport has been strongly encouraging the use of masks throughout much of the pandemic, which began last spring.
"Everybody already has somewhat of an expectation that they have to wear a mask in public places and certainly in a transportation location where there are a lot of people congregating, like an airport," Malinowski said.
It's the same at Northwest Arkansas National Airport at Highfill, the state's second-largest airport, said spokeswoman Alex English.
"XNA has required face coverings to be worn at all times while in the terminal since the early stages of the pandemic, so our travelers are already prepared to wear a face covering while traveling in our airport," English said.
Becca Green, public engagement director for Rock Region Metro, called the federal mask mandate "long overdue and appreciated." The Pulaski County transit agency was one of the first organizations in Central Arkansas to adopt a mask mandate on April 20.
"Having had a face covering requirement for almost 10 months, METRO has seen little pushback regarding compliance," she said in an email.
A day after being sworn in as the 46th president last month, Biden signed executive orders mandating the wearing of masks on federal property, at airports and on commercial planes, buses and trains as part of his plan to combat the pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 400,000 Americans.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an 11-page order based on the president's directive "requiring the wearing of masks by travelers to prevent spread of the virus that causes covid-19.
"Conveyance operators must also require all persons on board to wear masks when boarding, disembarking, and for the duration of travel," the CDC said. "Operators of transportation hubs must require all persons to wear a mask when entering or on the premises of a transportation hub."
The agency said the order must be followed, with few exceptions, "by all passengers on public conveyances (e.g., airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, ride-shares) traveling into, within, or out of the United States as well as conveyance operators (e.g., crew, drivers, conductors, and other workers involved in the operation of conveyances) and operators of transportation hubs ( e.g., airports, bus or ferry terminals, train or subway stations, seaports, ports of entry) or any other area that provides transportation in the United States."
The Transportation Security Administration, which oversees security at the nation's airports, issued its own directive based on the CDC order on Sunday.
The big difference between mask requirements before and after Tuesday is the executive order, the CDC order and the Transportation Security Administration directive carry the force of law, officials said.
"The issue is if somebody is not wearing a mask in the public area, the airport or the police will ask them to put the mask on -- if it's at the checkpoint, the TSA will ask them to put them on," Malinowski said. "If they refuse to do so, they will be asked to leave the facility. They will be escorted off the premises if they don't. If they created a big problem at that point, they potentially could be arrested for criminal trespass."
The offender also will be reported to the Transportation Security Administration airport officials added.
Clinton National put up about 60 signs covering the 17 entrances to the main passenger terminal, stating federal law requires the wearing of masks and failure to comply "may result in removal and denial of re-entry," according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Airlines and their unions have been seeking a federal mask-wearing requirement to replace a patchwork of measures and uneven enforcement.
Nicholas Calio is president and chief executive officer of Airlines for America, a lobbying organization for the nation's major airlines.
"We welcome the federal mandate as an additional layer of support, which will strengthen our flight crews' ability to enforce face covering requirements for the duration of the pandemic," he said in a statement.
Removal of passengers already has been an option that has been used by Rock Region, Green said.
"In the rare times when a person has refused to wear a mask, that person has been denied that transit trip in question," she said.
The federal mandate does contain some changes that might take some getting used to.
"It's likely the main update to our current protocols will be updating the definition of what an effective, acceptable face mask is, as outlined by the CDC," Green said.
At Northwest Arkansas National, English said the big change is the minimum age at which children are required to wear a mask.
"Prior to the mandate, the age requirement for face coverings at XNA was 10 years of age and older, and that age has now been adjusted to 2 years and older," she said.
The Transportation Security Administration appears to take a conservative approach to mask use while eating and drinking at transportation hubs such as airports.
The CDC says one of the exceptions to mask wearing under its order is "while eating, drinking, or taking medication for brief periods of time."
The Transportation Security Administration's guidance says "prolonged periods are not permitted for eating or drinking" so therefore "the mask must be worn between bites and sips."
Malinowski said he suspects the wording will deter abuses.
"If you're eating your meal, you're probably going to take it off," he said. "I think what they're really focused on is that people don't abuse that, that they don't sit there for four hours. If you're just having a hamburger and fries and a drink, I think you're going to be fine."