Gov. Phil Murphy announced an executive order Saturday requiring NJ Transit and other private carriers to cut capacity on vehicles by 50%, require gloves and masks for workers, and mandate face coverings for those riding transit.

"Right now for many of our essential workers, public transit is how they get to work, and we need to protect them during that trip," Murphy said during Saturday's press conference.

NJ Transit will develop guidance for these mandates in the coming days, the governor said, and the order will go into effect Monday, April 13 at 8 p.m.

Several of these issues — and challenges with carrying them out — were addressed by NJ Transit CEO and President Kevin Corbett at a board meeting last week.

Social distancing on some NJ Transit bus routes has been raised as an issue for weeks since schedule reductions went into effect March 30. Corbett said the agency was monitoring these issues and adding buses to routes where crowds were reported.

"While we’ve been able to strategically target select trips on some bus routes for added service, like transit agencies around the country, we simply don’t have the manpower to add more service," Corbett said Tuesday. He added that riders should use their best judgment before boarding and try to take the next bus, if possible.

Corbett also said, "We cannot put policemen on every bus" or expect drivers to police these issues.

More than 100 NJ Transit employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 783 are quarantined, according to figures provided by the agency Friday. NJ Transit employs nearly 12,000 people.

Murphy did not say how the capacity issue would be addressed.

Front-line workers who are operating buses, trains and cleaning stations, for example, have been provided gloves and recently masks for their shifts, but Corbett said there have been shortages and some shipments have not come through when promised. At the beginning of the month, the agency had accumulated about 70,000 masks.

Murphy did not say whether the state would distribute personal protective equipment from the state stockpile to transit companies if they are needed.

NJ Transit began asking riders to wear face coverings last week, including the use of bandannas and other homemade options.

Colleen Wilson covers the Port Authority and NJ Transit for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering the region’s transportation systems and how they affect your commute, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: cwilson2@lohud.com Twitter: @colleenallreds