STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Catching the next bus? Don’t forget to cover up.

Starting Friday, all riders throughout the MTA system will be required to wear face coverings in an effort to curtail the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The new MTA policy is in line with the executive order issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday, mandating that all New Yorkers wear face coverings in public spaces where social distancing is not possible.

“Pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order, all customers will be required to wear a face covering while traveling with us during this pandemic, effective Friday April 17. We commend the Governor for his leadership in ensuring a safe environment for the essential workers riding with us," said MTA Chairman and CEO Pat Foye.

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Foye went on to encourage riders to only travel when absolutely necessary and take all possible steps to maintain social distancing during their commute.

“We remind New Yorkers to stay home and observe social distancing measures whenever possible. Walk down the platform, board a different train car or wait for the next train or bus where possible -- we all need to change our behavior to protect each other. Wearing masks and other face coverings in public will help stop the spread and ultimately save lives,” Foye added.

On Thursday, Cuomo elaborated on the parameters of the executive order, stating that riders must wear masks when riding either public or private transit systems, including for-hire vehicles, and people operating those systems must wear masks at all times.

“Wearing a mask is one of the best things that we can do,” Cuomo said. “It really is a simple measure that can save lives.”

The required face coverings will be a welcome sight for MTA employees, many of whom have fallen ill operating the city’s transit network amid the ongoing pandemic.

“Tragically, 68 of our brave colleagues have lost their lives during this pandemic. New York City Transit alone has more than 2,400 subway and bus employees who have tested positive for COVID-19. Another 4,400 of our colleagues are under quarantine and thousands more are calling out sick,” Foye said during a Thursday morning press conference.

“While we are starting to see more employees return to work, we are not nearly out of the woods from an employee availability point of view,” he continued.

MTA EMPLOYEE TESTING

In an effort to slow the spread of the virus throughout the MTA workforce, the agency has partnered with Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care to provide priority testing for symptomatic transit workers at urgent care clinics throughout the region.

“We remain relentlessly committed to doing everything we possibly can to keep our frontline workers safe,” Foye said. “We will continue working to identify any and all solutions we can deploy to help protect our employees. The region simply cannot function without the essential and heroic workers of this pandemic.”

Northwell has agreed to provide priority testing to symptomatic MTA employees at a rate of 50 per day, or 350 per week, similar to the previous agreements reached between Northwell and the NYPD and FDNY.

Northwell will begin reaching out to MTA employees who have self-identified as symptomatic via the MTA COVID-19 hotline, arranging testing appointments that will begin on Friday.

“As the largest employer of healthcare workers in the state, we understand how vital it is to have a functioning mass transit system during this time of unprecedented challenges,” said Northwell Health President and CEO Michael J. Dowling.

“Untold numbers of our own employees depend on mass transit to get to work each day. Our relationship with the MTA is a mutually essential one and we look forward to partnering together in the days and weeks to come to make sure that MTA workers can get tested at our more than 50 urgent care locations around the region," Dowling continued.

Last week, the MTA deployed a “Temperature Brigade" of medically trained personnel to check employees’ temperature as they report to work at 22 locations throughout the region.