Metro is encouraging transit riders to wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, echoing new Federal Transit Administration recommendations released Tuesday.
The transit agency said coverings are “strongly encouraged aboard all buses, trains, and MetroAccess vehicles, as well as in rail stations, bus terminals and other transit facilities.”
“The use of simple, homemade cloth face coverings can help slow the spread of the virus and help people who have the virus but don’t know it avoid transmitting it to others,” Metro said.
The agency stopped short of requiring any type of specific coverings. Passengers won’t be barred from public transportation if they board without their faces covered, Metro said.
Transit agencies have varied on whether to require face masks or recommend them since early this month, when the White House and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that people wear masks in public. Several local governments across the nation, including Los Angeles and, locally, the District and Montgomery County, Md., have mandated the use of masks when entering grocery stores or pharmacies. Transit agencies including TransIT in Frederick County, Md., have also required face coverings before passengers can board.
Mandatory requirements or the enforcement of recommendations, however, came under fire after the wide circulation of a video showing a man being yanked off a bus by police in the Philadelphia area because he didn’t have a mask. In response, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority said it was only urging riders to cover their faces, not requiring it.
Metro similarly made clear that its recommendation would not be enforced.
“Some jurisdictions served by Metro require the use of face coverings in public settings,” the agency said. “While the use of cloth face coverings is strongly encouraged on Metro, you will not be denied transportation if you refuse to wear one. The same guidance applies to Metro employees, who are encouraged to wear face coverings, but are not required to do so.”
Twenty-four Metro employees, including nine bus operators, one transit police officer and a station manager, have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the transit agency.
The virus has upended public transportation across the country, forcing agencies to reduce service to limit staffing and the exposure of workers to the fast-spreading coronavirus. Transit providers such as Metro have required passengers to board buses using the rear door only to protect drivers, while they’ve allowed operators to forgo bus stops if they feel additional passengers would create dangerous conditions onboard. Train operators are being separated from passengers by keeping the first and last cars vacant.
“We would ask that customers keep in mind that this is about protecting the health of the very frontline transit employees who are making their trip possible. You may be on a bus for 20 minutes. They may be on a bus for 8 hours,” Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said in a text message. “Without them, Metro wouldn’t be providing critical service right now. We all need to remember that.”
Metro said in its statement that it would not provide any masks or coverings to riders.
