The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is requiring people to wear masks when traveling on public transportation starting next Monday.
(a) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order Friday evening requiring all passengers to wear masks when traveling by air, ship, train, subway, bus, taxi and carpool starting at 11:59 p.m. ET Monday (Feb. 1), and passengers must also wear masks inside transportation hubs such as airports, bus stops, ferry stations, train stations, subway stations and ports. Passengers may not wear masks only for brief moments such as eating, drinking, or taking medication; masks may be manufactured products or homemade masks; travelers younger than two years of age or with certain health conditions may not wear masks; and people traveling in private vehicles and drivers driving commercial trucks alone may not be required to wear masks.
The 11-page order, issued by Marty Cetron, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Global Migration and Quarantine Branch, said, “Requiring masks within our transportation system will protect the American public and provide confidence that both we will be able to travel safely again during this outbreak.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people who violate the order could face criminal penalties, but are more likely to face civil penalties. The order will be enforced by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and federal, state and local governments.
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