MTA to provide face coverings to maskless straphangers
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JULY 24-JULY 30, 2020 17
BY MARK HALLUM
Operation Respect is underway.
That’s what the MTA is
calling its new effort to enforce
mask requirements on
subways and buses in the coming
days, and if a rider does
not have a face covering they
may be handed one by transit
workers in stations to prevent
the spread of COVID-19.
Interim New York City
Transit President Sarah Feinberg
says the state has given
them fodder for this in the
form of 1 million masks “donated”
from the state to the
state agency and that the new
mask PSA featuring actor
Rosie Perez will begin this
week. One of the more surprising
announcement’s from
the MTA’s Monday press conference
in the Fulton Street
Station is a pilot program to
dispense homemade masks on
board buses.
New York City Transit Vice
President Craig Cipriano says
lack of compliance with mask
requirements is not a major
issue with the agency estimating
95 percent to 98 percent of
straphangers wearing a face
covering of some form. Despite
this, Feinberg says 160 Bridge
and Tunnel Officers will be
deployed to buses this week to
enforce this measure that is
required to enter systems operated
by the MTA.
“I think we always want
voluntary compliance. We always
want to give New Yorkers
every ability to do the
right thing. If you don’t have
a mask, you can get one in
the booth … You’ve got folks
coming through subway cars
giving you the opportunity
to take one,” Feinberg said.
“That’s the way we want to get
to 100 percent compliance, not
through enforcement.”
According to Cipriano,
daily bus ridership continues
to hover around 1.2 million
customers.
“One thing I want absolutely
clear: We need 100 percent
compliance,” Cipriano said.
“If a bus operator tells you to
put on a mask, he or she is doing
it out of respect for us all.
So please do the right thing.
There have been a recent number
of incidents regarding customers
assaulting our operators
over mask usage.”
The mask dispensers pilot
will start on two unannounced
routes in the Bronx and expand
as necessary.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum
by e-mail at mhallum@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4564.
HEALTH
/QNS.COM
/schnepsmedia.com
