Passengers and workers at Philadelphia International Airport now must cover their faces in an attempt to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The new face mask policy went into effect Monday at PHL.
There are only a few exceptions -- mostly for eating and drinking:
“All passengers, airport personnel and all personnel of a tenant or a subcontractor are required to wear a face covering which covers the individual's nose and mouth while on Airport premises, except to the extent the passenger or employee is eating or drinking, or is alone in the employee's office,” the airport posted to its website.
The policy comes as many airlines now require face coverings for passengers on flights.
The airport said that most other major airports in the United States have similar mask policies in place.
Air travel in the United states has dipped drastically over the past couple of months due to coronavirus shutdowns and stay-at-home orders. PHL has seen an 80% to 90% decrease in passenger volume year over year, spokesperson Heather Redfern said.
The PHL face mask policy takes effect for air travelers the same day that Amtrak required all of its rail riders to cover their faces on board.
