As Pa. mask mandate ends, some rejoice, while others say they will keep masking up

As of Monday morning, mask wearing in Pennsylvania is no longer a mandate.

“It’s about time,” said Joe Dibattista of North Huntingdon.

Dibattista, 69, and his wife, Chris, were among the many on Sunday at Westmoreland Mall who said they were ready to move forward, with the coronavirus seemingly in the rearview mirror as vaccinations progress and reports of new cases continue to decline throughout the state and region.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s mask mandate, imposed last summer, expired at 12:01 a.m. Monday, meaning both the vaccinated and unvaccinated can shed the face coverings that have been commonplace during the past year in public settings.

The governor’s office announced last month the mandate would be lifted when at least 70% of Pennsylvania residents are vaccinated or by June 28. As of late last week, Wolf said 60% of adults in the state were fully vaccinated and 75% of adults had received at least one dose of vaccine.

Masks were few and far between at the mall on Sunday afternoon.

“I’m glad it’s over, said Lisa Smith, 49, of Ruffs Dale. Smith said she and her husband have both recovered from covid-19 and remain unvaccinated. Smith didn’t wear a mask Sunday but said she typically did so when required.

“We got through it. I thought all along that it’s like the flu,” Smith said.

Tom Petrose and his wife, Suzie, of Johnstown said they became used to mask wearing but are confident they are protected without a face covering after being vaccinated earlier this year.

“Unvaccinated people made their choice. I feel safe,” Petrose said.

Neither Paige Wanner of Murrysville nor her friend Greg Dawson of Hannastown is vaccinated or wore masks Sunday, but both said they readily did so throughout much of the pandemic.

“We’ve really progressed. I didn’t like wearing a mask, but we did to make sure we didn’t catch or spread covid. It was very beneficial,” Wanner said. Dawson added that, during the past year, he tried to avoid those without masks.

“It was selfishness on their part. Wearing a mask was to protect others,” Dawson said.

Angel Zambrano, 52, of Verona happily strolled maskless into the Aldi grocery store at the Pittsburgh Mills shopping complex in Frazer with her family Sunday afternoon.

“It’s better freedom without the mask. It’s not claustrophobic,” Zambrano said. “I feel like we’re back to America.”

Zambrano, a health care insurance analyst, has been able to work from home during the pandemic and has begrudgingly worn a mask during outings. She hasn’t received the vaccine and doesn’t intend to, she said.

“I mean, I understand being safe and all, but I think they were all being crazy with it,” she said. “I wore it into the stores only because it was the unknown, but it was just getting ridiculous after a while.”

Nancy Albinini, 60, of Lower Burrell kept her mask on during her shopping trip as she organized her newly purchased groceries. She received her first covid-19 vaccine dose a few days ago, but she’s not taking chances and will keep masking until she gets her second shot at the end of the month.

As a retail worker, Albinini said she has learned to wear a mask for long stretches without any issues. Her employer allows vaccinated employees to go unmasked.

“I’ve worn one for nine hours a day every day because we were required to, but everybody got used to it and we were real diligent about it,” she said. “And now some of the girls do, some (who are vaccinated) don’t, and it’s OK.”

Zambrano pointed out some private employers continue to require patrons to wear masks despite the mandate getting lifted, and said she doesn’t mind doing so if she’s running a relatively quick errand.

“There are some places, like bakeries and stuff, they want you to wear your mask — which, OK, I’m only in there for a second,” Zambrano said. “But the grocery store, you can’t breathe, it (fogs) up your glasses.”

Albinini said she expects a higher level of safety when it comes to food handlers.

“I think, at a restaurant, you want to know that they’re wearing one,” she said.