Starting Feb. 1, all public transportation will require travelers to wear masks, CDC order says

LOS ANGELES - Starting at 9 p.m. Monday, the order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC, requires face masks be worn by all travelers on airplanes, ships, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride-shares and at transportation hubs like airports, bus and ferry terminals, train and subway stations and seaports.

The CDC directive follows an order from President Joe Biden on Jan. 21 which directed all federal agencies to immediately take action and require masks on transportation and at transit hubs.

Although the majority of U.S. airports, airlines and bus terminals have their own mask policies in place — many in the travel industry have been asking for a federal mask mandate to help them enforce the rules.

Amtrak is no exception all customers and employees must wear a face mask or covering that fully covers the entire mouth and nose all times while onboard and in stations. And unless you are under two years old, refusing to wear Amtrak says you can be denied boarding, removed from the train and banned from future travel.

Employee unions like the Allied Pilots Association welcome the federal mandate saying "a company policy simply doesn’t carry as much weight. When you use the words ‘federal mandate’ they said, it gets attention."

You can read more about the CDC order here.

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