Still, September 2021 brought a new surge of mask encouragement, with the MTA providing thousands of masks to commuters, students and any passengers in need of PPE on the increasingly crowded subways. How these fines will be delivered and enforced, however, is still unclear, as the MTA announced last year that fines for not wearing masks would be given to passengers, to little effect. To date, the MTA has offered over 11 million paper masks to customers.Īccording to both New York State and federal law, face coverings are required on public transit, including buses, subways and enclosed stations. On Wednesday, September 22, the MTA announced that it will start enforcing $50 fines for passengers who are not wearing masks, which are free to the public at all subway booths. This is about encouraging safety, not punishment.If the slew of celebrities' voices reminding you to stay socially distant and mask up while riding public transit hasn't convinced you to keep your face covered, this $50 fine might. "This is about saving lives not generating revenue, and we'll work with a range of law enforcement personnel to make sure riders are given every possible opportunity to wear a mask. "The goal is to achieve universal mask compliance," said Patrick J. The art, which will be on display on more than 8,000 digital screens throughout the transit system and on a billboard in Ridgewood, Queens, features a diverse group of New Yorkers wearing a New York State-shaped mask. Additionally, the MTA launched a new State of Respect campaign to remind New Yorkers to wear masks on public transit as a sign of respect towards their fellow New Yorkers and to stop the spread of COVID-19.
The MTA’s Mask Force, comprised of hundreds of MTA employees, elected officials and advocacy groups, also kicked off additional outreach efforts and has made four million free masks provided by the State and City available to customers to-date.