The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an Order imposing a mask requirement applicable to public transportation systems, rail, and van, bus and motorcoach service providers to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. The CDC Order implements President Biden’s Executive Order 13998.
Read the APTA Transit Mask Mandate Summary.
The Order emphasizes that the virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily via respiratory droplets and that wearing masks prevent infected individuals from spreading the disease. The CDC’s Order focuses on transit because it brings people in close contact with one another. Furthermore, the CDC believes that any state or territory without sufficient mask wearing requirements for transportation systems within its jurisdiction has not taken adequate measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. To that end, the CDC is exercising its statutory and regulatory authority to require wearing masks on transit.
Further, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued a Security Directive (SD) January 31, 2021, that is effective February 1, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. The SD was issued to enforce the requirements of the CDC Order mandating masks, as well as implement the Executive Order issued on January 21, 2021.