Mask mandate on public transit not always followed or enforced in Chicago

People — some masked, some not — board a Red Line train at the CTA’s Wilson station in Uptown on Wednesday. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

The man who boarded the train at the Wilson Red Line stop wasn’t wearing a mask — not even one slung loosely around his neck.

He paid no attention to social distancing rules, holding onto a pole and standing less than six feet from another, masked passenger. His behavior drew anxious stares from the other passengers on the train.

“Why are you staring at me?” the unmasked man said at one point. “I can see you staring at me.”

The man was one of several passengers seen not wearing masks during an hour-long trip from the Howard Street station to downtown this week — despite the ubiquitous signs reminding riders to do so, per Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order.

The situation is often even worse on CTA buses, and it’s why bus and train operators are applauding the new federal mask requirement for travelers on public transportation and airplanes — but also wondering if it will do any good without strict enforcement.

“We are ecstatic about the president stepping up ... . It’s been an ongoing problem since the pandemic,” said Keith Hill, president of Local 241 ATU, which represents bus employees.

People wait to board a Blue Line train at the CTA’s Clark/Lake station in the Loop on Wednesday afternoon.

Hill said he’s heard complaints of some passengers spitting at drivers who dare to remind them they need to wear a mask. So the union advises drivers not to confront passengers and that, Hill says, is what CTA is also recommending.

“We are constantly looking over our shoulders,” Hill said.

When drivers call the police to a resolve a situation, it brings its own set of problems, Hill said.

“It’s a time-consuming thing because they don’t come right away,” he said. “You might spend 30 minutes sitting there. Now you are opening yourself up to other things.”

When a driver can flag down a police officer, they are generally “very cooperative.” he said.

What’s needed, Hill said, are dedicated officers to handle enforcement.

The Transportation Security Administration, according to a Jan. 31 “security directive,” appears to be the agency responsible for handling any “significant security concern,” but it’s not clear how that would work in practice. A representative from the TSA didn’t immediately return an email seeking clarification.

Asked for comment, the CTA issued a statement that it is “revising its extensive messaging to reflect that the mask requirement is also now a federal mandate. Our web site, onboard and platform announcements will also be updated. The CTA is working with transit agencies across the country to get further guidance and clarification” from federal agencies “on the emergency order requiring masks, and how CTA can implement safe, practical and effective procedures to support this requirement.”

The Federal Transit Administration and Transportation Security Administration “have promised additional guidance on this directive, which CTA is awaiting.”

Bob Guy is the state legislative director for SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, which represents Metra conductors. The mandate is something “we absolutely welcome and hope all passengers take to heart.”

“From what I hear from our folks ... the overwhelming majority of Metra ridership is more than happy to wear their masks,” Guy said.

But he said he’s concerned about what enforcement will look like when a passenger doesn’t want to wear a mask.

“Other passengers are going to look to the conductor or onboard personnel to try to enforce that, and there’s simply nothing we can do about that. That’s left up to the owner/operators, which in this case would be Metra,” Guy said.

Michael Gillis, a Metra spokesman, said compliance with the state mask mandate has been “extremely high” and he isn’t expecting that to change any time soon. He said Metra has relied on an “educational” approach rather than kicking non-compliant passengers off trains.

A sign at the CTA Red Line station at Lake Street in the Loop urges riders to wear face masks.

During Tuesday’s CTA Red Line ride from Howard Street to Chicago Avenue, most passengers donned face coverings — surgical masks, cloth, even some N95 masks, with some opting for double masks, as is now suggested. But a handful left their masks below their nose or chin, took their masks off to eat or hopped on the train maskless.

Cars were nearly empty, with perhaps half a dozen riders per car during various rides Tuesday afternoon. Most spread out, as is urged on window stickers reminding passengers to socially distance from other commuters.

At Argyle, a maskless man sat on the train unbeknownst to a CTA worker, who sat feet away but with her back to him.

At the Fullerton platform, one CTA worker wore no mask, one wore his mask below his chin and another had his below his nose.

Hidden behind a billboard, one rider moved her mask below her chin to speak on the phone while another nearby did the same to smoke.

While no maskless riders were seen going through turnstiles onto the platform by CTA workers, only one maskless man was confronted during the trip — and by a fellow passenger, not a CTA worker.

Passengers at the CTA Red Line stop at Lake Street. New federal health orders from the CDC require masks on public transit, but a ride on the Red Line on Tuesday found no CTA workers specifically enforcing the rule, which was not always obeyed.