Masks will be mandatory on transit again starting Wednesday, August 25, TransLink announced this morning.
TransLink mandated masks on transit last August, after a slight influx of COVID-19 cases. On July 1, 2021, the mask mandate was lifted to simply be recommended, as the province moved into phase three of its pandemic recovery.
Transit passengers will now have to wear masks when on transit, when boarding or while waiting for transit at any indoor or sheltered station or stop.
Exemptions include anyone with a medical condition or disability that prevents them from wearing a mask, anyone unable to put on and take off a mask without assistance, children under 12, employees working behind a physical barrier and police and first responders in an emergency.
“While the mandate is in effect beginning tomorrow, it will take some time for signage around the system to be updated. We thank our customers for their patience as we navigate this change,” a TransLink press release said of the new policy.
This change comes just after BC reinstated a mask mandate for indoor public places this morning, less than two months after the mandate was lifted. On campus, students will have to wear masks in classrooms, labs, hallways and other indoor spaces.
BC saw 1,711 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend.