HOUSTON — The Houston METRO system on Tuesday announced that masks are no longer required for both passengers and employees throughout the system.
METRO said it expects to have removed all signs and messages about mask requirements within 48 hours. Starting immediately, operators and METRO police will no longer ask customers to wear masks.
While masks will no longer be required, METRO said it "encourages its customers to make decisions that are in their best interest."
The daily and midday cleaning already in place is expected to continue and sanitizer dispensers will still be available on all METRO vehicles.
METRO said the change in policy comes after a federal court struck down mask mandates for public transportation and the Transportation Security Administration's decision not to enforce mask-wearing.
Since the pandemic started, METRO has had 10 COVID deaths among its nearly 4,000 employees.
Dr. Linda Yancey, an infectious disease expert at Memorial Hermann, said the Houston area is in a good place and the numbers are currently the lowest it's been since the pandemic started.
Other forms of public transportation that have eliminated its mask policy:
- United Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- Uber
- Lyft