MTA Distributes More Masks To NYC Commuters As COVID Cases Rise

NEW YORK CITY — On a day when Mayor Bill de Blasio continued to stress the need for more New Yorkers to get the COVID-19 vaccines, efforts to hand out free masks to commuters continued at various Metropolitan Transit Authority stations.

MTA officials reported that the authority has handed out more than 750,000 face-coverings to commuters as part of MTA’s “Mask Force” campaign. The effort includes elected officials, MTA employees and volunteers distributing free masks to commuters on the New York subway, Long Island Railroad and Metro-North Railroad.

Masks on city transit continues to be required as confirmed cases of the coronavirus continue be reported, especially involving the delta variant. The mayor said Tuesday that the city is averaging 576 new COVID-19 cases per day, which is a sharp increase from a month ago.

Tuesday’s “Mask Force” event was the 13th of its kind and comes a year after MTA launched “Operation Rescue” to promote the universal use of face-coverings on public transportation around New York. The MTA has acquired 32.6 million masks to date for employees and commuters, according to a news release. In addition to the more than 9.5 million masks available for customers, the transit authority has also made available 750,000 two-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer to encourage health and safety guidelines that started last year.

“New York has made strong progress in the battle against COVID-19, and mask usage played a vital role in doing so,” Patrick Warren, MTA’s chief safety officer said in the release. “Today’s Mask Force day is a good reminder that masks are still required at indoor stations and on trains, buses and paratransit vehicles, and wearing one is just as important today as it was a year ago.”