NY Waterway Ferries Lift Mask Mandate; PATH Keeps It In Place
HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Now that masks may have come off on many airlines and forms of New Jersey public transportation, the NY Waterway ferry company said Tuesday that they were lifting the mandate for their ferries between New Jersey and New York City, too.
"All NY Waterway ferries have open-air decks," said a spokesperson. However, he noted that
Waterway operates two Hudson Valley ferry lines under contract with MetroNorth (Newburgh-Beacon and Haverstraw-Ossining), and those will continue the requirement.
Otherwise, NY Waterway buses, terminals, and ferries will be mask-optional.
Meanwhile, the PATH trains between New Jersey and New York City will still require masks in most spaces to comply with New York City health requirements.
Masks are no longer mandated on several kinds of transportation thanks to a decision this week from Florida federal Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who struck down a travel mask mandate
saying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its authority.
On Monday, the CDC said the order requiring masks on public transportation "is no longer in effect." However, the CDC said it "continues to recommend that people wear masks in indoor public transportation settings at this time."
PATH Stations And NJ Airports
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Tuesday that face coverings are optional at Newark Liberty International and Teterboro airports. However, they are mandatory on PATH trains and in PATH stations, with some exceptions.
They said:
“The Port Authority will continue to follow the guidance of the New York and New Jersey public health authorities with respect to mask mandates at its public transportation facilities. Per current New York public health guidance, the mask mandate remains in effect for the following New York facilities ... The mask mandate remains in effect for the interstate PATH System (including stations and platforms with the exception of open-air platforms).”
Mandates also remain in effect at the Port Authority Bus Terminal and New York airports.
Last week, an average of 5 to 6 people per day died of COVID in New Jersey, much lower than two years ago, when 360 people died of the virus just on April 30, 2020, the state's deadliest day.
New Jersey's seven-day case average is 1,691, up nearly 20 percent from last week and 161 percent from one month prior.
However, Gov. Phil Murphy said last week that he still expects a COVID-19 case increase from last weekend's holiday celebrations.
Check for further updates on the PATH Twitter account.
Patch editor Nicole Rosenthal contributed reporting to this story.
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This article originally appeared on the Hoboken Patch
