This COVID-19 safety precaution to be required for anyone riding Columbia bus service
While cases of the coronavirus continue to rise in a reopened South Carolina, the COMET is making a safety measure a requirement for all of its riders.
Wearing a mask or face covering will be mandatory for anyone looking to ride the Columbia-area bus system, COMET Executive Director and CEO John Andoh said Thursday in a news release.
The move to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 will go into effect next Monday, according to the release from the bus line that runs through Columbia and the Midlands.
“We made this decision with the safety of our riders in mind. The pandemic is still ongoing but so is the need for our riders to get to their essential destinations safely,” Andoh said in the release.
Any passengers who do not have a mask or face covering will be offered one prior to boarding, COMET officials said. Masks and face coverings are also required to access any COMET facilities and bus depots, according to the release. COMET said it will provide masks until July 31, or until supplies run out.
“We were fortunate to be able to secure a limited supply of masks,” Andoh said. “This was important because we understand that people need time to adjust to this new policy, so we are providing masks for a period of time to help out.”
On Wednesday, 528 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in South Carolina by the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
It was the third time in five days where health officials released information about 500-plus patients testing positive for the coronavirus. It continued a trend of data that showed much greater single-day cases compared to March and April when safety precautions were put in place across the state as COVID-19 rapidly spread.
That was when COMET officials put social distancing mandates in place, which included closing a large bus stop and limiting the number of riders per bus.
Of the 528 new cases of COVID-19, DHEC said 66 were confirmed in Richland County, and 27 more were reported in Lexington County, the primary areas that COMET buses cover.
On Wednesday, 12.9 percent of coronavirus tests were positive, an increase over the average state health officials saw in March and April, which was about 9-11 percent.
“When that goes up, that is an indicator that we are detecting more sick people in a population,”state epidemiologist Linda Bell said. “I have to say that today, I am more concerned about COVID-19 in South Carolina than I ever have been before.”
Potential COMET passengers who have legitimate medical reasons for not wearing a mask can request accommodations prior to riding by calling 803-255-7133.
