LOS ANGELES (CNS) — While masks are no longer mandatory on airlines or at airports, Los Angeles Metro on Tuesday was continuing to require passengers on Los Angeles County buses and rail lines to don face coverings pending further guidance from federal authorities.
But Metrolink officially dropped its mask mandate on its commuter trains and stations.
Mask-wearing requirements on transit operations were thrown into doubt Monday when U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Florida issued a ruling saying the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had exceeded its authority by mandating face-coverings on public transportation.
Although airlines and airports quickly made mask-wearing optional in response to the ruling, local transit agencies were still trying to determine the effect of the judge's decision.
Metro, therefore, has kept its mask mandate in place on buses and trains, with its website proclaiming, "Per federal law face masks are still required to ride on all buses and trains."
The agency informed passengers it was awaiting further guidance from the Federal Transit Administration on whether face coverings should still be required.
Metrolink officials, however, opted to drop the mandate, making it only a recommendation.
The CDC first issued an order mandating masks on public conveyances in January 2021, saying "traveling on public transportation increases a person's risk of getting and spreading COVID-19."
"Air travel often requires spending time in security lines and busy airport terminals," the agency stated. "Travel by bus, train and other conveyances used for international, interstate or intrastate transportation poses similar challenges."
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