MARTA says riders will be required to wear masks

ATLANTA — With more cities in metro Atlanta mandating masks in public, MARTA plans to establish a mask policy.

Riders on the bus and rail system will be required to wear a mask starting as soon as Monday, according to a news release.

[FULL LIST: What cities are requiring face masks?]

“MARTA plans to incorporate mask-wearing enforcement into our current Ride With Respect policy,” the agency said. “Customers will have every opportunity to comply but violators could be suspended from riding MARTA.”

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Several cities where MARTA operates all passed mask ordinances this week, including College Park, East Point, Decatur and Atlanta.

In response to Atlanta’s mask policy, MARTA CEO said earlier this week there is concern about drivers having to enforce the requirement because of the potential for confrontations with riders.

“Comments made at the July meeting of the MARTA Board of Directors were expressing concern over the safety of bus operators placed in enforcement roles, not MARTA’s unwillingness to enforce a mask ordinance,” the agency said in a statement Saturday.

MARTA also announced earlier this week it was distributing 2 million masks throughout its system.

[RELATED: Gwinnett bus drivers want no mask, no ride policy after coworker dies of COVID-19]

Hospitals across metro Atlanta see rising number of coronavirus patients Channel 2's Justin Wilfon spoke with several hospitals about the number of cases they are seeing.

Cox Media Group