A commuter boards a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train in the New Montgomery station in San Francisco. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The San Francisco Bay Area’s largest transit system will now require masks until at least July 18, the SFGate reports.
The big picture: The move comes after a federal judge in Florida earlier this month struck down the mask mandate on planes, trains and other forms of public transportation.
- The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency announced earlier this month that it was no longer requiring masks on trains, buses and taxis.
- Los Angeles County issued a COVID-19 health order last week requiring masks on all public transit within Los Angeles County, including buses, trains, taxis and ride-hailing service vehicles.
- Other major transit systems in the U.S. dropped mask mandates after the judge's decision, including in Chicago, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.
Driving the news: The Board of Directors for San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system voted unanimously Wednesday to reinstate the mask requirement.
- "COVID cases are rising and we must keep riders safe, especially folks with health conditions, immunocompromised and kids not yet eligible to get vaccinated," BART board President Rebecca Saltzman wrote, per SF Gate.
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