ORLANDO, Fla. – Mask-wearing is mandatory at Orlando International Airport and leaving your mask at home is no longer an excuse to not wear a face covering while traveling, according to airport officials.
Travelers can now purchase a variety of masks, hand sanitizers and other personal protective equipment from vending machines at OIA.
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The addition to the airport comes after Orange County officials issued a mask mandate last month in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases reported as Florida continued taking steps toward reopening its economy.
Because of the executive order, travelers and employees at OIA have been asked to wear face coverings to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“It is our top priority to make travelers and employees feel safe within our world-class airport,” said Phil Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. “To do that, we want to ensure everyone can easily obtain personal safety essentials needed to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
According to a news release from OIA, there are six Clean and Safe Travels vending machines set up in high touch point areas near the following airline ticket counters:
- JetBlue
- Frontier
- Southwest
- Delta
- United
- American Airlines
Prices start at $7.50 for two masks, according to the release.
In addition to the new vending machines, a number of retailers in the terminal are also selling various PPE supplies.
OIA officials hope easy access to PPE will help travel numbers to continue to climb amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
According to the release, passenger traffic has been slowly bouncing back at MCO since falling 97% in May. Airport officials said traffic is currently down about 71% compared to this time last year.
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