Face coverings compulsory on public transport in England from 15 June

[Bayum]

Should have been asking people to do this in public from the start.

 

[mmh]

More rules for the sake of rules. If it were genuinely important, why make it mandatory in two weeks time rather than right away?

 

[yorksrob]

I think it's a necessary move, but I also hope it's drafted as a temporary measure and kept under review.

 

[NorthOxonian]

My heart sank reading that.

Quite right. I desperately don't want to live in a masked society. This measure needs to be reviewed carefully and removed as soon as it becomes unnecessary, unless we want public transport to have a permanent stigma attached to it.

 

[43066]

More rules for the sake of rules. If it were genuinely important, why make it mandatory in two weeks time rather than right away?

Even the WHO is pretty agnostic on the benefits of mask wearing. But of course our government knows better (along with many of the idiot sheeple in London who are still wearing masks with outlet valves etc.)

 

[6Gman]

My heart sank reading that.

Why? What's the problem?

 

[AM9]

Is it really a way of avoiding the issue? All over London in the summer you will see signs advising you to take a bottle of water with you. Not a lot of point if you won't be allowed to drink it.

How many hours will people spend on trains all over London without a break. Just drink before boarding. It's quite easy to comply unless you are trying not to.

 

[CICERO55]

Any idea why it isnt starting till the 15th june? It should be the 8th june.

 

[Socanxdis]

Shouldn't this be in the covid sub forum? Also, will the toc provide staff with masks? if mask isn't available can you refuse to work?

 

[route:oxford]

EDIT: How could they enforce it though the NRCOT but not have it apply in Wales & Scotland immediately?

Imagine it'll be for approximately the same reason as why there are no Penalty Fares in Scotland.

 

[6862]

My heart sank reading that.

Same here.

Welcome to the UK in 2020: a police state.

A worrying development which takes the government's control over our lives to a whole new level.

 

[AM9]

And on the tube in summer people are always being urged to stay hydrated.

Just how many hours will a single tube journey be then?

 

[Cardiff123]

Should the title be changed? Coverings are not the same as masks?

Yes, it's a face covering, not a mask. So it could just be a scarf for example.
Title of this thread needs to be changed to reflect this

 

[midland1]

Why do they not wear masks at the press briefing?

 

[6862]

Why? What's the problem?

I agree with the OP, my reasons being that it is another example of the rapid erosion of our liberty which I suspect is far less likely to be reverse than the closures of shops and schools.

 

[Cardiff123]

The policy in Wales is that face coverings in any indoor setting (shops/buses/trains) are just voluntary, not even recommended (as in England), so i'd be surprised if face coverings are made compulsory in Wales but that's just me speculating.

 

[Weekender]

The downside to this,of course is that asthmatics will now be unable to use public transport as doctors strongly advise against the use of face coverings as it would prevent them from breathing properly.

 

[liam456]

Imagine it'll be for approximately the same reason as why there are no Penalty Fares in Scotland.

I thought that was something about Scots law making private prosecutions very difficult compared to England? (big citation needed warning here!)

 

[route:oxford]

Shouldn't this be in the covid sub forum? Also, will the toc provide staff with masks? if mask isn't available can you refuse to work?

This is quite big though and is a fundamental change to how we can travel.

I think you're confusing masks with face cover.

There's going to be all sorts of interesting chatter though. Will on train staff be able to physically force a passenger to remove a mask to check a photocard?

 

[duncanp]

I suspect that compulsory wearing of face masks on public transport is a figleaf which will enable the government to say that the 2 metre social distancing requirement is no longer required, or is advisory but not compulsory.

As has been discussed on this forum, having a 2 metre social distancing rule on public transport means that buses and trains will be "full" at around 10% of their nominal capacity, and anyone who knows anything about public transport recognises that this is difficult to enforce in the short term, and financially unsustainable in the long term.

I suspect that it won't be rigidly enforced, just like the "..quarantine..." rules coming in next Monday.

However it would help if there were vending machines selling masks at rail and bus stations, and rail staff (whether at a station or on a train) and bus drivers had a small stock of masks in case someone forgets theirs.

 

[al78]

No, it really shouldn't be.

It should be personal choice.

I believe that if anyone wants to impose conditions on anyone else, especially on a population scale, the onus is on them to provide a solid logical scientific argument as to why. Unfortunately where humans are concerned, feeling and emotion trumps logic and evidence, so there is a danger face masks will end up like the cycle helmet emotional polarised debate.

What does the science say about the ability of face masks to reduce the risk of transmission in enclosed spaces?

 

[AM9]

And that it will have legal force through the National Rail Conditions of Travel.

EDIT: How could they enforce it though the NRCOT but not have it apply in Wales & Scotland immediately?

It's quite easy to put clauses in any legal document that describe any geographical limits to its applicability.

 

[Deepgreen]

Apologies - I meant to go back and change the title to "coverings" but posted in error before changing it.

 

[221129]

And that it will have legal force through the National Rail Conditions of Travel.

EDIT: How could they enforce it though the NRCOT but not have it apply in Wales & Scotland immediately?

You'll probably find the English TOCs will apply it regardless whether you are in Scotland or Wales. As is their right.

 

[6Gman]

Just been reading a Royal Society DELVE Initiative paper of May 2020 which suggests it is likely that face coverings reduce transmission particularly where social distancing is compromised. They give, as a specific example, public transport . . .

If putting on an inexpensive, widely available mask means that I'm less likely to spread this unpleasant disease then I'm happy to do so.

(I already do so in shops out of courtesy to other shoppers and staff)

 

[route:oxford]

I thought that was something about Scots law making private prosecutions very difficult compared to England? (big citation needed warning here!)

Any lawyer could do it. Just do a formal application to the High Court for each individual case and provide comprehensive evidence that it would be in the public interest.

 

[43066]

Shouldn't this be in the covid sub forum? Also, will the toc provide staff with masks? if mask isn't available can you refuse to work?

Opposite way round for me.

I have no intention of driving trains around while wearing an uncomfortable and distracting face mask.

 

[Tube driver]

Hendy basically saying it will be self policing just like the ‘successful’ booze ban on London’s public transport which is probably the most ignored rule in the history of ignoring rules.

 

[Deepgreen]

It will be interesting to see how many people adhere to this; for example, those who always want to carry on long and apparently vital phone conversations. I haven't travelled by train since lockdown started so have no idea of the current degree of covering.

 

[liam456]

I thought that was something about Scots law making private prosecutions very difficult compared to England? (big citation needed warning here!)

For those curious, here's the thread from which I remembered the above statement: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/penalty-fares-in-scotland.112420/