SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — When the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Monday that it will no longer enforce the federal government’s mask-wearing mandate, several public transportation agencies in the the Bay decided to wait to remove the mask mandate. Two days later, however, several of those agencies, including Muni and BART, finally decided to drop those mandates.
MUNI
Muni said in a series of tweet on Wednesday that masks will be recommended but no longer required at any of its facilities or vehicles. The agency cited that its decision came from guidance from the California Department of Public Health, the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Federal Transit Administration.
Explaining his decision to drop the mask mandate, Muni said his vehicles have excellent airflow and the Bay Area has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country. Muni added that there is a high probability that the person next to you is protected against COVID-19.
bart
Beginning Wednesday, April 20, BART announced that face masks will be optional for all riders, the agency said in a news release.
BART confirmed that there are no longer any directives at the federal, state or local level that allow the mandatory use of masks on its trains. Masks will continue to be “strongly recommended” on BART.
The agency said all BART employees are fully vaccinated.
golden gate transit
Golden Gate Transit also became one of the Bay Area transit systems to lift its mask mandate on Wednesday, according to a statement from the agency. While masks are no longer required on buses and ferries, they are still highly recommended.
The agency primarily serves residents of the North Bay, which includes Sonoma County and Marin County, who are looking to travel in and out of San Francisco.
This is not to be confused with the San Francisco Bay Ferry, which is a separate agency. The San Francisco Bay Ferry told KRON4 that it will continue to require masks.
CalTrain
Like the other Bay Area agencies, Caltrain is following California and federal guidance to remove its mask mandates, Caltrain said in a statement. cheep. A week ago, Caltrain tweeted that his mask mandate will be extended until May 3, but he has since changed his position.
SamTrans
SamTrans, which serves San Mateo County residents, also announced the Twitter On Wednesday it will stop requiring masks. Passengers continue to be “strongly advised” to wear masks.
Like Caltrain, SamTrans announced last week that it will extend its mask mandate through May 3. That ad on Twitter cites a cheep saying the term was meant to end on April 18.
AC transit
On Tuesday, AC Transit announced that it will be removing its mask rule on all of its buses, effective at midnight on April 20. The agency primarily serves Alameda County.
These changes came after Monday’s news that the TSA would no longer enforce federal mask mandates at travel hubs. The Oakland airport, numerous airlines, public transportation systems, and Uber have since dropped their mask requirements.
county connectiona bus service in Contra Costa County, has not announced whether it will drop its mask mandate.
Reference-www.kron4.com