Savannah, Ga. – Chatham Area Transit will continue requiring passengers on CAT vehicles wear masks into next year to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, as required by the Transportation Security Administration.
This week, the TSA confirmed that the federal face mask requirement for all transportation networks, including public transportation, will be extended through mid-January.
“TSA will extend the directives through January 18, 2022,” according to a TSA spokesperson. “The purpose of TSA’s mask directive is to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation.”
CAT customers without a mask can request one from an operator.
The extension comes as COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout Chatham County due to the Delta variant and hesitancy among residents to get the vaccine. While no vaccine is 100% effective, those who are vaccinated are less likely to contract the virus and for those who do, the symptoms are often mild and the chance of hospitalization is low.
To help get more people vaccinated, CAT is hosting a free vaccination clinic next week at the Joe Murray Rivers Jr. Intermodal Transit Center, 610 W. Oglethorpe Avenue.
The J.C. Lewis Primary Health Care Center pop-up clinic will be at the transit center from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Aug. 25. Both the Johnson & Johnson and the Pfizer vaccines will be offered. No appointments are necessary. Recipients of the vaccine will have to wait at the center for 15 minutes of monitoring after getting the shot.
CAT encourages residents who are hesitant about getting the vaccine to speak with a medical professional about their concerns. More information about the vaccine can be found on the Coastal Health District’s website at https://covid19.gachd.org/.
Next week’s vaccination clinic is a collaboration between J.C. Lewis Primary Health Care Center, YMCA of Coastal Georgia, Healthy Savannah and REACH, a national program administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities.