FILE: UTA offers free ride to the Salt Lake City airport with a boarding pass until January 31, 2022. (UTA Headquarters in Salt Lake City. Credit: Paul Nelson)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) will require that riders in Salt Lake and Summit counties wear face coverings or masks beginning June 27, 2020. And by July 1, the transit agency will require that riders across the state wear such face coverings.
The announcement is in line with an order from the Salt Lake and Summit County Health Departments requiring face coverings or masks to be worn in public places.
In a statement, the UTA said that if a rider does not have a mask and wants to ride a bus or train, one will be provided for them.
Complying with the new order from the two counties is in addition to actions already taken by the UTA to make riding a bus or light-rail train a safer experience in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
“The safety of riders, employees and the community has been a top priority for UTA since the beginning of the pandemic,” said the UTA in a statement sent to KSL Newsradio.
Since mid-March, UTA has implemented multiple safety and disinfecting efforts aligning with the health and safety recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Utah Department of Health.”
UTA reports that, on average, more than 60,000 people use public transportation in Utah each day. In its statement, the utility says that the SLCO and Summit County requirements to wear face masks in public places will “help keep the Utah economy strong and moving toward recovery.”