The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) recruited four additional regional transit agencies to join in its efforts to ensure that all riders are wearing an appropriate face covering on mass transit in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ TRANSIT, Amtrak and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) have all agreed to join the MTA in its efforts, creating a new Regional Mask Force. Together, the agencies plan to distribute millions of free masks to commuters throughout the region.

In a press conference, the MTA announced that it has significantly expanded its Mask Force, a group of hundreds of MTA employees and volunteers, dressed in bright yellow shirts, who distribute masks directly to customers at subway stations and bus stops throughout the system, with these additional partnerships.

“Together, we can keep the New York and New Jersey region safe as coronavirus cases spike across the nation," said MTA Chairman and CEO Pat Foye. “Our agencies, individually and collectively, are doing everything we can to protect public health, but it’s crucial that every mass transit rider does his or her part too, and that means wearing a mask."