diff --git a/pkg/rootless/rootless_linux.go b/pkg/rootless/rootless_linux.go
index bbd797817..38be2a934 100644
--- a/pkg/rootless/rootless_linux.go
+++ b/pkg/rootless/rootless_linux.go
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import (
 	"os/user"
 	"runtime"
 	"strconv"
-	"sync"
 	"unsafe"
 
 	"github.com/containers/podman/v2/pkg/errorhandling"
@@ -44,31 +43,9 @@ func runInUser() error {
 	return os.Setenv("_CONTAINERS_USERNS_CONFIGURED", "done")
 }
 
-var (
-	isRootlessOnce sync.Once
-	isRootless     bool
-)
-
 // IsRootless tells us if we are running in rootless mode
 func IsRootless() bool {
-	isRootlessOnce.Do(func() {
-		rootlessUIDInit := int(C.rootless_uid())
-		rootlessGIDInit := int(C.rootless_gid())
-		if rootlessUIDInit != 0 {
-			// This happens if we joined the user+mount namespace as part of
-			if err := os.Setenv("_CONTAINERS_USERNS_CONFIGURED", "done"); err != nil {
-				logrus.Errorf("failed to set environment variable %s as %s", "_CONTAINERS_USERNS_CONFIGURED", "done")
-			}
-			if err := os.Setenv("_CONTAINERS_ROOTLESS_UID", fmt.Sprintf("%d", rootlessUIDInit)); err != nil {
-				logrus.Errorf("failed to set environment variable %s as %d", "_CONTAINERS_ROOTLESS_UID", rootlessUIDInit)
-			}
-			if err := os.Setenv("_CONTAINERS_ROOTLESS_GID", fmt.Sprintf("%d", rootlessGIDInit)); err != nil {
-				logrus.Errorf("failed to set environment variable %s as %d", "_CONTAINERS_ROOTLESS_GID", rootlessGIDInit)
-			}
-		}
-		isRootless = os.Geteuid() != 0 || os.Getenv("_CONTAINERS_USERNS_CONFIGURED") != ""
-	})
-	return isRootless
+	return true
 }
 
 // GetRootlessUID returns the UID of the user in the parent userNS