Before you GO, cover up.

Metrolinx announced today (July 17), that face coverings will be mandatory on all GO Transit vehicles, as well as on UP Express trains.

While face coverings have been deemed essential for some time on GO and UP lines – the mantra is that they are simply the right thing to do for the safety of all – they will be required as of Tuesday, July 21.

Mandatory Face Coverings on GO

Face coverings on transit were far less common when the pandemic first began in March. Now, more than half of GO and UP customers – and in some cases, as many as 90 per cent – have been wearing protective face coverings over their noses and mouths with some sort of protective barrier.

While it will be a requirement for all customers as of next Tuesday, Metrolinx officials say there will be some riders who will not be able to wear face coverings due to pre-existing conditions. The transit agency is asking everyone to understand those situations and says no customers will be left behind.

Transit staff will be on board trains, buses and in stations informing customers about the need to wear a face covering.

Safety Never Stops

Mandatory face coverings are the latest part of a comprehensive health and safety strategy Metrolinx started to develop before a pandemic was declared earlier this year.

On-board safety measures continue to expand and evolve as the province moves through a phased return to normal. They now include rolling out dividers between train and bus seats, hand sanitizer dispensers, and a comprehensive vehicle and station cleaning regiment that has staff constantly wiping down touch-points.

Moving Forward Together

Metrolinx says that while they are closely monitoring ridership throughout the network and making every effort to adjust services to give customers space to spread out, there is going to come a point as the province moves into Stage 3 and more people travel to work and play, when physical distancing is just not possible.

Since late May, the Chief Medical Officer of Health has asked everyone in the province to wear a face covering in areas where physical distancing isn’t always possible, such as on public transit.

Do I Have To Wear Protective Face Coverings On GO?

As face coverings have become as common and universal as carrying a cell phone – whether going for groceries or riding to work in the morning – it’ll now be mandatory on GO and UP.

For more Metrolinx News articles on the many health and safety measures taken on GO Transit and UP Express, just go here.