Masks are now optional on Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess effective immediately, according to a Monday news release from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
The change comes about after a federal judge struck down the previous national mask mandate covering public transportation and airlines earlier on Monday.
Masks are now optional for both customers and employees, according to the release.
[UMD will no longer host winter commencement, effective next semester]
“Our mask mandate has been based on federal guidance,” Metro’s general manager and chief executive officer Paul J. Wiedefeld said in the release. “We will continue to monitor this situation as it unfolds, but masks will be optional on Metro property until further notice.”
As commuters return to work environments and travel for leisure, Metro ridership has increased over the past few months, the release said.
The University of Maryland will continue to require KN95 masks for classrooms, public transportation and patient care areas until the end of the spring semester, University Health Center Director Spyridon Marinopoulos wrote in a campuswide email Monday afternoon.
