Long Beach on Friday issued a new health order officially aligning with the county in requiring face coverings in all public transit settings and indoor transportation hubs.

The order, which went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, requires everyone over the age of 2, regardless of vaccination status, to wears masks on trains, buses and taxis and ride-share vehicles. Masking will also be required in airport and bus terminals, train stations, seaport or other indoor port terminals and any indoor area that serves a transportation hub.

The new health order came after a Florida judge struck down the U.S. government’s mask-wearing mandate on airplanes and mass transit systems. The U.S. Department of Justice appealed the decision as health officials insisted the requirement is still needed to protect against the spread of COVID-19.

Cases of COVID-19 are still considered low in Long Beach, however case and positivity rates are slowly increasing due to the BA.2 subvariant, city officials said in a statement Friday.

“At this time, we must continue to require community-level prevention strategies, including masking on public transit and in transportation hubs, to protect the most vulnerable in high-risk settings and safeguard the health care system,” the city said.

Long Beach will require masks on public transit, inside transit hubs