While the city-issued indoor mask mandate for Boston businesses was lifted on March 5, private businesses can still require a covering for entry if they deem it necessary. A Reporter review found that many local merchants are embracing the current mask-less situation with cautious optimism.

Olga Gomes, who owns and operates Luna Fitness Club on Morrissey Boulevard, wears a mask indoors to set an example. “I just want to let people know it’s okay if they want to wear their masks,” she said as she tries to balance the preferences of her clients with her own concerns.

During sessions, she opens windows and runs two air purifiers to make working out as comfortable as possible. A small gym, she said she develops close relationships with her customers. “You have the ones that want to wear the mask and you have the ones who don’t want to.”

Public health officials still recommend that anyone at high risk of severe Covid-related illness use face coverings in certain indoor settings.

Prior to the policy change, diners at restaurants were required to wear a mask when they were not eating or drinking. Tara O’Riordan, the general manager at Ashmont Grill, said that patrons there “were very good about it.” Now, she says, “Everybody’s relieved and happy, and also maybe a little bit cautious. It’ll take some time, but I think people are feeling relaxed, feeling safe, and that’s the goal.”

O’Riordan, who also manages the popular Tavolo restaurant and bar, says dining experiences are inching closer to pre-pandemic attitudes. “It makes what we do a lot more fun and enjoyable when I can see somebody, when I can smile at them, we can laugh together,” O’Riordan said. “It’s hard to have a good time when everybody’s covered up and nervous.”

Junior Pena, who co-owns My Sister’s Crawfish and Kim’s Flower Shop in Fields Corner, says interactions were sometimes awkward when the mandate was in effect and someone came in who was not wearing a mask. Now that it’s optional, those tensions have eased.

“People are going to try to get into a different rhythm when it comes to going to places … expecting to see people not wearing a mask,” Pena said. “This is going to be the new normal.” 

With warmer weather on the horizon, some businesses are hoping to rebound from the pandemic’s dismal days. Gomes, who said her gym has not made a profit in the last two years, is hoping to gain another 20 or 30 members. 

The beginning of March, she said, was the first time she had 18 people in one session. At times, she considered closing the doors, but she said it was the community that kept her open. “I had members say, ‘Hey, I don’t feel comfortable coming in, but, hey, I still want to pay my membership,’” Gomes said. “That’s why I kept the gym open.”