Another coronavirus-related rule has fallen by the wayside.
Manatee County Area Transit, which operates the fare-free island trolleys, no longer requires passengers to wear face masks following an April 18 statement from the federal Transportation Security Administration.
The statement said that due to a court ruling made the same day, the TSA would no longer enforce a mask mandate for public transportation and transportation hubs.
Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, appointed by former President Donald Trump, ruled April 18 to void the mandate, which led to the rule changes.
The ruling followed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extension of the federal transportation-related mask mandate through May 3.
The TSA’s statement said the CDC “continues to recommend that people wear masks in indoor public transportation settings at this time.”
Manatee County strategic affairs manager Ogden Clark told The Islander April 19 that MCAT dropped mask requirements but still provides free masks for anyone who needs one.
Clark said the MCAT fleet would keep the plastic protective “bio-shields” that separate the driver from passengers.
He added that MCAT staff would remove mask mandate signage over the next few weeks.
The island trolleys operate seven days a week, 6 a.m.-10:30 p.m., on 20-minute intervals on a looping route from a hub at Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach to the Anna Maria City Pier in Anna Maria.