BATON ROUGE - Public buses in the capital area will require all riders wear face coverings starting next week.

The Capital Area Transit System announced Friday that everyone inside CATS facilities and aboard buses must wear masks. The requirement will remain in effect until further notice. 

“CATS has continued enhanced cleaning efforts since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020 and maintains heightened levels of sanitization to this day. We take the safety of our employees and customers very seriously and we know masking up is the most effective way to reduce the spread of this virus,” CATS CEO Bill Deville said in a statement. “Along with federal, state, and local officials, we urge our community to get vaccinated."

Read more on the latest COVID surge here.