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BART Urges the State to Include Transportation Workers in Its Next Vaccine Rollout

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The Civic Center BART station during the evening commute in San Francisco on March 13, 2020.  (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

BART officials are asking the state to consider transportation workers as part of the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom sent Dec. 28, BART President Mark Foley wrote, "Given the clear societal, economic and equity benefits of the services public transit workers provide, it is imperative for the state to include public transit workers in Phase 1B of the state's vaccine distribution plan."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also recommended that transportation workers be part of Phase 1B vaccine rollout.

Newsom said in a press conference Monday that the state's vaccine distribution work groups were actively considering the structure of the second phase of the rollout of the vaccine.

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The drafted plan involves breaking Phase 1B into tiered subgroups, which determine who is prioritized:

  • Tier one:
    • People who are 75+
    • Workers in education and child care, emergency services, food and agriculture.
  • Tier two:
    • People who are 65+ with an underlying health condition and/or a disability
    • Workers in transportation and logistics; industrial, residential and commercial sectors; critical manufacturing; incarcerated individuals; and the homeless/unhoused.

The state Department of Public Health did not confirm if these plans have been approved.

In the letter, Foley reminded officials that transportation workers are critical for providing other essential workers — like those in health care and education — a way to work. According to the letter, three-fourths of riders on BART are people of color and "51% are from a household with income of less than $50,000 and only 47% have access to a vehicle."

"As the pandemic subsides, public transit service will be vital to a balanced recovery and the continued health of our public transit workers must be a top priority for the state," Foley said.

— Michelle Wiley (@MichelleEWiley)

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