NJ Transit Requires Masks for Riders

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NEWARK — Gov. Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order 125 requiring all personnel and customers on New Jersey Transit vehicles to wear face coverings, among other requirements, strengthening the transit agency’s efforts to protect the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.  
“We are grateful Governor Murphy is adding extra authority and enforcement to the personal protective equipment policies NJ TRANSIT implemented in recent weeks for the protection of our employees and customers,” stated NJ TRANSIT President and CEO Kevin Corbett. 
“NJ TRANSIT bus, train, light rail and Access Link paratransit service is vital to ensuring essential personnel can continue to get to their jobs and back home again, and Governor Murphy’s executive order strengthens the tools we have to do this as safely as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added. 
According to a release, NJ TRANSIT has distributed more than 604,000 gloves and 162,000 masks to employees for use on the job since March 1, 2020 and has been encouraging customers to wear masks since the Centers for Disease Control adjusted their guidance last week.
In addition to requiring NJ TRANSIT to provide certain personal protective equipment to its workers and requiring customers to wear cloth face coverings on NJ TRANSIT vehicles, the executive order also addresses a number of other directives, including authorizing NJ TRANSIT workers to limit capacity on all NJ TRANSIT vehicles to 50 percent of maximum capacity to allow for proper social distancing. 
The executive order also applies to private carriers that NJ TRANSIT contracts with to provide bus, light rail and Access Link service throughout the State. Face coverings can be made at little or no cost from simple household items. Please view this short “how-to” video from the United States Surgeon General: https://youtu.be/PI1GxNjAjlw .
More information on the Governor’s executive order is available at https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562020/approved/20200411b.shtml