The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will implement new COVID-19 guidance for public transportation, including rideshare operators and taxis, covering mask wearing and distancing protocols.

“The revised guidance adds some capacity suggestions, physical distancing and ventilation recommendations, strengthens mask requirements, and updates for clarity throughout,” CDPHE wrote in releasing the new advice pursuant to a Nov. 2 public health order.

Under the recommendations, transit agencies should limit vehicle occupancy to 50% of posted seated capacity, including by blocking off seats or limiting passenger vehicle occupancy to backseats. Whenever possible, operators should open windows for ventilation.

Employees should collect cash fares in as limited a fashion as possible, and wear disposable gloves if they must make transactions. Notably, CDPHE advises that agencies consider creating a log of riders for contact tracing purposes.

The Federal Transit Administration points to a May document from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about suggested mass transit policies. The roadmap, which refers to “the President’s Plan for Opening America Up Again,” advises a route-based safety approach, adjusting service between “areas experiencing different levels of transmission.”

The document also echoes the need to open windows for ventilation, block off areas for distancing purposes and support “coping and resilience among employees.”

The CDPHE recommendations take effect on Nov. 9.