DART officials announced April 19 that the organization would follow the Transportation Security Administration's decision to no longer enforce the Security Directives and Emergency Amendment requiring a mask be worn over the mouth and nose on public transportation and at transportation hubs.
In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle said the mask mandate exceeds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's statutory authority. Furthermore, the ruling calls the mandate “arbitrary” and “capricious” because the CDC failed to adequately explain its reasoning.
The CDC previously announced it would extend the mask mandate for public transportation through May 3, and DART followed with guidance that it would continue to require face coverings on April 14. That requirement was slated to expire May 3.
In a news release announcing the latest change, DART said dispensers for hand sanitizer and face masks would remain in place on all of its buses, light rail vehicles, Trinity Railway Express vehicles and Dallas streetcars for anyone who wishes to use them. The agency also continues to follow agency-wide cleaning and safety protocols on its vehicles and at its properties, according to the release.
Additional information about DART's safety protocols are available here.
