SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – The Bay Area Rapid Transit has dropped its mask mandate on Monday despite the region experiencing one of its worst COVID-19 surges since the pandemic began.
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Though face masks are no longer required on BART, they remain "strongly encouraged." The mandate, which was reinstated in April, has been eliminated at least until the agency’s next board meeting on July 28, when they may reconsider the requirement.
COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the Bay Area – its biggest spike since the beginning of 2022 – and the country. Los Angeles County is preparing to reimpose an indoor mask mandate due to rising cases.
A quick KCBS Radio survey of people getting off the trains at the Embarcadero Station on Monday morning found a vast majority still wearing their masks even though under the current policy they aren't required.
BART's board president wondered if a prolonged requirement would do any good since compliance has been waning. According to data released by the agency on Monday, 89% of riders in June complied with BART's mask mandate, its lowest rate of the year.
Riders interviewed by KCBS Radio at the Embarcadero Station said confined public spaces like transit are the exact places where masks should be required.
"That's mad, that's madness. I just had COVID so no way," one rider said regarding the mandate's expiration. "They can do whatever they want to do, I’m about to retire in a couple of months. BART is just ridiculous."
"I just don’t think we’re ready, honestly, with variants that are still coming out… we still need to keep this going to protect ourselves," another rider said.
BART's mask mandate expiration leaves AC transit as the only local transit agency with a current mask requirement.
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