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TriMet has dropped its mask mandate, hours after a federal judge in Florida ruled the U.S. government lacked the authority to require the wearing of face masks on transportation.
The ruling had the high-profile effect of ending mask mandates on airplanes and in airports (including Portland International Airport), but it also affected rules for public transit.
Some major cities including New York City are are keeping mask mandates on local buses and trains, at least for now.
Not Portland, where masks on transit are merely recommended.
“Masks are now optional on our buses and trains due to yesterday’s federal court decision and the new TSA directive,” says TriMet spokesman Tyler Graf. “With the CDC still recommending that masks be used on transit, we do welcome their continued use and ask that everyone be respectful of others.”
Multnomah County public health officials urged everyone to continue wearing masks on public transit as case counts begin to climb again, in order to protect the nearly 1 in 5 county residents who are unvaccinated.
They also urged everyone with a “compromised immunity” (and anyone who lives with someone with “compromised immunity”) to wear a mask in any indoor setting where there is limited ventilation. (It was not immediately clear who was included in that group.)
“Locally, Multnomah County COVID-19 case counts are inching up after tremendous declines in the last two months,’’ public health director Jessica Guernsey said in statement. “While we have not seen increased hospitalizations or deaths so far in association with introduction of the BA.2 Omicron subvariant, it is prudent to continue some safety measures in order to protect our vulnerable neighbors and provide maximal time without masks. Masking on public transit is a small effort with potentially large yield in protecting our community.”
