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9/23/2021
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will increase mask enforcement throughout the system effective immediately, the agency announced yesterday.
Those who do not comply with mask requirements will be more likely to face a $50 fine, according to a news release. Mask-wearing is a federal requirement on trains, buses and paratransit vehicles.
Following Labor Day, the MTA began an increased effort of mask distribution, with MTA staff and police officers strategically stationed at subway and railroad hubs, and bus terminals, distributing tens of thousands of free masks to unmasked riders.
The goal of heightened enforcement is to increase mask usage across all agencies, and to return to 2020 and early 2021 compliance levels where nearly 100% of riders wore masks onboard subways, buses, commuter railroads and paratransit vehicles, the release said.
Since the $50 fine was implemented on September 14, 2020, MTA police officers have had more than 88,000 encounters with riders. This has included the distribution of more than 50,000 free masks overall, 25,000 in the two weeks after Labor Day.