SEPTA Requiring All Riders To Wear Face Covering Beginning Monday
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Starting today, SEPTA is requiring all riders to wear a face mask or covering to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The transit agency has been strongly urging riders to wear face coverings while using the system, but it was not a requirement.
"To help continue efforts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, beginning Monday, June 8, everyone riding SEPTA will be required to wear a face mask or covering. #FlattenTheCurve," the transit agency wrote in a tweet.
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SEPTA says customers don't have to buy a mask, they can use any type of cloth material to cover their mouth and nose.
A similar policy was put into effect in April, which was followed by a viral video showing a man being physically removed from a SEPTA bus for not wearing a mask.
SEPTA operators had the right to refuse to transport passengers that do not wear face masks, but after police forcibly removed a man from a bus, that rule was rescinded.
Last month, SEPTA unveiled changes to its buses to help protect its employees along with riders.
It includes a shield to protect drivers, as well as a standing line pushed back farther from the driver. Seats are also being marked off to promote social distancing.
