From the 15th of June face coverings will be made mandatory on public transport in England. This new measure has been put into place to help limit the spread of coronavirus and more individuals go back to work. Travellers could be faced with a fine or refused travel if they do not comply to the new measures being put into place.
Passengers are currently advised to wear a face covering anyway, but from the 15th of June they will be prevented from boarding public transport without one.
Non-essential shops
Non-essential shops are likely to re-open on the 15th of June and so the government will require to wear face coverings on buses, trains, tubes and other modes of public transport. This measure has been put into place due to concerns about physical distancing on busy means of transport. Certain travellers will be exempt to these rules, including young children and people who have breathing difficulties or those with disabilities.
Recommendations
Other recommendations include using other modes of transport if possible, to space out, face away from other people and to travel over staggered times throughout the day. The main aim of these new rules is to help minimise the risk of asymptomatic people spreading the virus and to also act as physical reminder regarding the need for hand washing and social distancing.
Announcing these new plans, the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said “we need to ensure every precaution is taken” as England relaxes the lockdown further, and passenger numbers start to increase once again.
However, Doctors have said that the government should make face coverings compulsory in all places where social distancing is not possible, not just on public transport. The British Medical Association, the doctors’ union, said masks “should not be restricted” to transport. They also said that the risk of spreading coronavirus would be minimised if the rule started now, not later in the month.
Picking the best face mask
With many options out there, it can be tricky to pick the best face mask for you when using public transport. We recommend a comfortable, reusable and washable face mask. This will lower waste and help look after the environment. Discarded single-use face masks could be causing significant harm to the environment. UCL’s Plastic Waste Hub released a document stating that if every person in the UK used one single-use face mask every day for a year, it would create 66,000 tonnes of contaminated plastic waste and ten times more climate change impact than reusable masks. Buy your reusable face mask
