Masks won’t be mandatory on GO Transit

Despite TTC policy, Metrolinx says it will follow provincial advice

Starting next week, one of the few enclosed public spaces in Toronto where residents won’t be required to wear a face mask will be on a GO Transit vehicle.

On Thursday, the TTC made it mandatory for passengers on the city-owned transit system to wear a mask in order to fight the spread of COVID-19, and Toronto’s new bylaw requiring face coverings in a wide range of indoor spaces will go into effect next Tuesday. When it does, Torontonians will be required to wear masks in settings from retail stores to houses of worship, from grocery stores to community centres.

But while Metrolinx, the provincial agency that oversees GO Transit and the UP Express, is “strongly encouraging” its riders to wear face coverings, it hasn’t enacted a mandatory mask rule for its passengers.

Agency spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins said throughout the pandemic Metrolinx has followed the advice of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams, “and will continue to do so regarding face coverings.”

Despite Metrolinx figures indicating only between 30 and 50 per cent of GO passengers are wearing face coverings, Aikins said the approach of merely encouraging mask use has been effective. Out of a workforce of more than 4,300, 12 Metrolinx employees have either tested positive for COVID-19 or been deemed a “probable” case, and

“we have not experienced an outbreak related to GO or UP,” she said.

Metrolinx has instituted other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including frequent vehicle cleaning, and signs and floor markings to help people stay the recommended two metres apart. The agency said Thursday it’s launching a pilot of installing plastic dividers between seats on five GO trains and 30 buses to prevent riders from being exposed to airborne respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.

GO Transit carries far fewer people than the TTC. Daily ridership on the provincial commuter network is now less than 30,000, but before the crisis hit it exceeded 270,000, compared to about 1.8 million for the TTC.

Despite the mismatch in the size of the two organizations,

Councillor Joe Cressy, chair of Toronto’s board of health, said it was important for the provincial and city transit agencies to be on the same page. Complicating the issue is there are some places, like the city-owned Union Station, where the two systems intersect.

On Tuesday, on the advice of Toronto Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa, council voted to ask the province to enact a bylaw that would complement the city’s by mandating masks in enclosed spaces under provincial jurisdiction, including transit.

“This is to ensure that all enclosed spaces in Toronto will be protected so we can continue to reduce virus spread in our city,” Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto Public Health’s Associate Medical Officer of Health, said in a statement.

In response to questions about why the province’s top doctor hasn’t required transit users to wear masks, Ministry of Health spokesperson Christian Hasse said Dr. Williams “has stated repeatedly that it is recommended that everyone wear a face covering when they will not be able to physically distance properly. If people are unsure if they should wear a mask — they should err on the side of caution and wear one.”

Dr. Colin Furness, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, said that by encouraging mask use instead of mandating it, Metrolinx is sending the message that “we’re not serious about safety.”

“I would advise nobody to ride on a GO train at all… until they put a (mask) policy in place,” Furness said.