Monday was the first day BART riders were allowed to ditch their masks on trains and at stations for the better part of two years.
The mass transit agency's mask mandate expired, though its signage reflects what most health officials are professing these days: masks are not required but are "strongly encouraged."
Tsering Lhamo is a nursing student and took BART into San Francisco from Walnut Creek Monday.
Her future occupation is one of the many reasons why she said she'll continue to wear a mask on the trains, even now that BART said you no longer have to.
“I would probably wear it because I feel safer with the mask on,” said Lhamo.
Back in April, the BART board voted to reinstitute the mandate without a public health order. And now, even amid new COVID surge driven by the highly transmissible BA.5 omicron subvariant, the rule was allowed to expire.
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During the pandemic, BART has taken several safety measures including installing air filters that can trap the virus while also replacing the air inside train cars every 70 seconds.
Some riders were relieved Monday to go maskless, saying people should decide for themselves.
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"If I’m alone, then I don’t need to, if I’m sitting by myself," one rider said.
As mask mandates have been lifted, public health leaders have repeatedly maintained that in crowds and indoors, masking is still a good idea.
In an email, BART said they continue to strongly encourage riders to wear masks but also pointed out that trains are equipped with robust air circulation and air filters dense enough to trap the virus.
The agency will also have the chance to discuss a new mask mandate when the board meets on July 28.
But very few riders are waiting for the board to make a decision....
“I wear the masks for myself,” said Lhamo. “I would rather have everyone wearing masks but it’s everyone’s opinion.”
