BART Reinstates Mask Mandate

• By: admin
• On: 04/28/2022 15:44:05
• In: Coronavirus/COVID-19
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Thursday's BART decision is notable because it's the first example of a transit agency in California instituting a mask mandate without a public-health order.  

Most of those who called into Thursday's meeting for public testimony voiced support for the temporary mandate. Several transit riders who are immunocompromised said the requirement would give them a sense of safety while riding BART.

The mandate takes effect by enshrining the mask requirement in BART's Customer Code of Conduct. People who are unable to wear masks because of disabilities or medical conditions are exempt from the rule, as are children age 2 and under. Agency staff will post signage at stations and on trains displaying the reinstated mask requirement.

BART police now have the authority to eject or issue citations up to $75 for riders who flout the mask requirements. Alicia Trost, the agency's chief communications officer who lobbied for the requirement, said police won't use those enforcement options for the first week of the mandate.

Most BART riders have continued to wear masks in the past week, despite the temporary gap in an enforceable mandate.

Source: SF Chronicle April 28, 2022