Every US airport has its own requirements on face coverings and social distancing.
A traveler can start in one airport that requires face coverings to be worn and arrive less than a few hours later at an airport with no such requirement, as Business Insider found on a recent trip to Atlanta, Charlotte, and Hartford Connecticut.
TripSavvy recently ranked the 25 busiest airports in the country pre-pandemic according to traffic numbers and Business Insider found that there was no consistency in their face covering rules after reviewing the policies of each. Some of the busiest airports in the country don't require any sort of face covering, despite having greater passenger numbers and connections to destinations both within the country and overseas.
Some airports can require the practice themselves while others are mandated to by their jurisdictions. Others have their hands tied, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found at Hartsfield-Jackson International with officials wanting to implement the policy but blocked from doing so by the state.
The Centers for Disease Control lists wearing a face covering on its list of recommended practices to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Wearing any covering helps prevent carriers of the virus from spreading it while wearing a respirator helps prevent the wearer from contracting the virus.
Here's a list of the face-covering requirements at the top 25 busiest airports.