The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has lifted its mask requirement but strongly recommends passengers and employees continue to wear face coverings onboard its buses and light-rail trains.
The decision comes days after a Florida judge ruled to end the federal mask mandate and federal agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reissued their policies accordingly.
The VTA said those amended policies as well as its own do not signal an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Public Health experts still recommend wearing facemasks in a variety of settings, including mass transit," the agency said in a statement.
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VTA officials said the agency is in the process of removing onboard signage requiring masks, and changes will be made accordingly.
