USDOT to Provide Face Coverings for American Transportation Passengers

The United States government recently announced a plan to send almost 100 million cloth facial coverings for passenger use to the aviation, transit, and passenger rail transportation sectors (Federal Government to Distribute Nearly 100 Million Cloth Facial Coverings for Transportation Passengers). Approximately 86.8 million face coverings will be disbursed to airports, while 9.6 million will be allocated to 458 transit agencies and Amtrak. 

“This Administration is committed to protecting our people and reopening the economy,” said United States Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao. “Distributing these facial coverings will help boost public confidence as we begin to resume our normal lives.”

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), in combination with the United States Department of Homeland Security and United States Department of Health and Human Services, has been working with states, industries, and stakeholders to make certain that American travelers have access to cloth facial coverings. Obtained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), these face coverings will be distributed to airports, transit agencies, and Amtrak via the United States Postal Service. 

This new apportionment of nearly 100 million face coverings for passenger use is in addition to more than 15 million cloth facial coverings that had been previously announced for critical transportation infrastructure workers. 

As determined by established guidelines formulated by airlines, airports, transit agencies, and passenger rail authorities, passengers will still be responsible for providing their own face coverings. The additional face coverings announced by USDOT are intended to supplement those already in use and availability for all passengers is not guaranteed.

In response to the public health emergency created by COVID-19, USDOT has emphasized maintaining safe and operational transportation systems in order to allow the American economy to recover. A comprehensive list of responsive measures, including stakeholder outreach and guidance, expanded federal financial assistance, and regulatory relief, is available at transportation.gov/coronavirus.

Hopefully, USDOT’s efforts will help make American travel safer during the coronavirus pandemic, because we learned long ago that we can’t depend on the transportation industry to prioritize safety over profits. If you have been injured in a railroad accident, it is critical that you hire an experienced attorney. Please call DBJ today at 1-800-875-5972 for a free consultation.