Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, announced yesterday that passengers travelling on a train must wear a face covering from Monday 15th June 2020.
The announcement was made at yesterday’s (4th June) Government Coronavirus press briefing.
These changes will be made under the law such as the National Rail Conditions of Travel and Public Service Vehicle Regulations for buses.
The Government will also work with operators to make sure staff have access to face coverings, and wear them where applicable.
Credit: RailAdvent
The advice remains the same, do not travel on trains if you have an alternative.
Rail operators are operating an increased timetable, but capacity remains low in order to follow social distancing guidelines.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: People should continue to avoid public transport wherever possible. But, as restrictions are carefully eased when it is safe to do so, it’s likely that we will see more people needing to use public transport. So, while respecting social distancing and maintaining good hand hygiene remains the most important steps we can all take to stay safe, wearing a face-covering can play a role in helping us to protect each other. This is about the small changes we can take to help control the virus, which is why I urge everyone using transport to wear a face covering, to help keep us all safer.
Paul Plummer, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: Wearing face coverings on trains will help to ensure that those who need to travel by rail can do so with confidence. Greater use of face coverings will boost the other measures we are putting in place to keep people safe, like more thorough cleaning, improved information on potential crowding and one-way systems at busier stations.
Barry White, Chief Executive of Transport for the North, said: “We are acutely aware that, as lockdown measures continue to evolve and public transport usage increases, there are likely to be occasions were social distancing is either difficult or, at times not possible. Whilst we are working closely with the transport sector to support safe travel wherever we can, measures such as the use of face coverings, where public transport is the only option for essential travel, clearly make sense.”
He added: “A huge amount of work is going on across the transport sector in the North to enable effective social distancing on stations, on trains and at major interchanges. This work is being done, not only to support travellers, but those who provide the services they use. We would urge people to continue to work from home if they are able to, to consider alternatives to public transport if they can, and if they do have to use public transport for essential travel, to follow the guidelines and advice that has been set out for everyone’s benefit.”
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: ‘I’m pleased that our lobbying has paid off and the Government has finally seen sense and made it mandatory for people to wear face coverings on public transport. This is something I and others have been calling on ministers to do for some time, and is in line with a large body of evidence that they can help stop the spread of coronavirus. I encourage anyone travelling on public transport, or anywhere you can’t keep a safe two-metre distance, to wear a face covering, but from Monday 15 June, everyone must wear a covering over their nose and mouth for the entirety of any journeys made using the public transport network. This will be mandatory and will help everyone be safer.
Sadiq Khan continued ‘TfL continues to work hard to maximise services despite staff being ill, shielding or self-isolating. The reality is that due to social distancing the effective capacity of public transport services has been dramatically reduced. We can only carry between 13-15 per cent of passengers. We all must play our part by working from home if we can and making journeys on foot or by bike if at all possible in order to keep the service safe for those who really need it. I want to thank Londoners who have made monumental sacrifices over the last ten weeks and stuck to the rules. I urge them to continue to do so to help save lives.’
Mike Brown MVO, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: ”Coronavirus has changed how people will experience our transport network, with new safety and social distancing measures, limits on the number of people on buses, hand sanitizers, even more extensive cleaning and the use of face coverings. But to help control the virus, everyone must wear a face covering for the duration of their journey from 15 June.
Mike continued ‘I encourage customers not to wait, and to start wearing them now if they are not already. Face coverings can now be quite easily made or purchased, and we are helping by temporarily handing out free masks at hot spot Tube and bus stations. But the clear advice from the Government and Mayor remains – people should continue to work from home if they can and avoid travelling on public transport to create space for those who are making essential journeys.’
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Responses
I’m suggesting a £60 fine or £120 fine or even more if people don’t wear face masks whilst using public transport. What about those who have health issues such as Asthma or have breathing difficulties.