It's in effect now.
Here’s What You Need to Know About the CDC’s Sweeping New Mask Mandate
Face masks will now be required on all public transportation in the U.S., according to a new mask mandate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The order, which went into effect on February 1, 2021, requires masks for all passengers and transportation operators.
The new CDC mask mandate specifically requires that all passengers on planes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride-shares need to wear masks for the duration of their travel whether they're traveling into, within, or out of the U.S. Any transportation operators as well as those working at transportation hubs (like subway stations or airports) will also be required to wear a mask. The CDC also directs transportation operators to only allow passengers wearing appropriate masks to board and to monitor passengers to make sure they comply with the mask mandate.
Passengers and operators also need to be wearing specific types of masks, the CDC says. The masks should cover both the nose and mouth and should not have any exhalation valves, slits, or punctures. If the mask is made out of cloth, it will need to be made of at least two layers of tightly woven (but breathable) fabric. Scarves, bandanas, face shields, and shirts or turtlenecks pulled over the mouth are not sufficient.
Some people are exempt from the mandate, including children under the age of two, people with disabilities who can't safely wear a mask, and people "for whom wearing a mask would create a hazard to workplace health, safety, or job duty," the CDC says.
This order comes about three months after the CDC "strongly recommended" that everyone be required to wear masks on public transportation. At that time, the CDC came just short of making masks a requirement as it did this week. Although many local governments and transportation companies already require passengers to wear face masks, the CDC's new mandate will make it a violation of federal law to break those rules.
Face masks continue to be one crucial way that we can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Experts agree that the coronavirus spreads mainly through respiratory droplets. People who have the infection can spread those respiratory droplets when they cough, talk, yell, or sneeze. The droplets, which may contain viral particles, can then land in other people's eyes, noses, or mouths, or those people may inadvertently inhale them. In some situations, the virus can also spread via smaller aerosolized particles (airborne transmission), which can linger in the air and travel more than six feet.
A face mask—especially the highly effective N95s and surgical masks or cloth masks that fit well and are made of multiple layers of fabric—can protect both the wearer and those around them from the spread of virus-containing droplets.
As a reminder, the CDC is still recommending that people avoid unnecessary travel as much as possible. But if you need to travel—even locally on public transportation—it's crucial to follow these mask recommendations. And remember that masks are just one tool we have to help contain the pandemic. They'll be most effective when used alongside all the other tools we have, including social distancing, avoiding crowds, washing our hands frequently, and getting vaccinated when possible.
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Sarah Jacoby
