Pinellas County now requires all passengers to wear face masks.
In a Tuesday afternoon Facebook post, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority wrote that the decision is in lieu of the CDC’s travel guidelines on transit.
Pinellas County is the only county in Tampa Bay requiring face masks on public busses. Hillsborough County, Polk County, Pasco County and Manatee County all encourage face masks to be worn by passengers, but it is not a requirement.
Pinellas Transit Authority customer service centers are distributing free bandana face mask coverings at the Grand Central Station, Park Street Terminal, Pinellas Park Transit Center and Williams Park locations.
The announcement from the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority arrived on the same day that Florida set a new record high for single-day COVID-19 infections, at 2,783 new cases.
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This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2020.