Masks will again be required on all public transit within Los Angeles County, including buses, trains, taxis, and ride-hailing service vehicles, under a new COVID-19 health order that will take effect Friday. The order will also again require masks at all indoor public transportation hubs, including airports and bus terminals.
Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday the order is based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s opinion that mask-wearing on transit remains an essential step in preventing spread of COVID-19.
“They are experts,” Ferrer told reporters during an online briefing. “They made a determination that at this point having that requirement in place is necessary for the public’s health, and that resonates with us.”
At the urging of the CDC, the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday appealed a ruling made earlier this week by a federal judge in Florida that struck down the U.S. government’s rule requiring masks to be worn on public transportation, most notably aboard airplanes.
The news comes after the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced it’s lifting its mask requirement on all of its bus and rail lines following a federal judge striking down the Biden administration’s nationwide travel mask mandate.
