London to retain mandatory masks rule on public transport after COVID restrictions ease

The United Kingdom is removing most of its COVID restrictions on July 19 but mask-wearing will remain mandatory on London’s public transport. London has become the first city in England to continue enforcing mandatory face coverings on public transport. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced that transport for London will continue to enforce the wearing of face masks on services in the capital beyond July 19.

Face masks in public transports

Mayor Sadiq Khan directed Transport for London to keep the requirement to wear face masks on public transport as a condition of travel beyond July 19. Passengers will be required to wear a face-covering in stations and for the duration of their journey unless exempt, according to the press release. The people will have to wear face masks while travelling on a Tube, bus, tram, DLR, Overground and TfL Rail. 

Under the new rules, the enforcement officers would be able to deny access to passengers not wearing a mask while using public transport. The Mayor has also asked TfL to put appropriate measures in place to help ensure the continued use of face coverings in taxis and private hire vehicles by both drivers and passengers unless exempt. TfL’s frontline station staff and bus drivers will continue to remind passengers that face coverings are a requirement. Khan said that the face coverings remain one of the simplest and most effective ways to control the spread of COVID-19. Khan said he is “not prepared” to put transport users “at risk” by removing the rules on face coverings after legal restrictions are lifted.

UK to ease restrictions on July 19

England will ease all COVID restrictions on July 19, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday confirmed, giving his so-called "terminus date” for when he plans to lift all COVID-19 instated measures safely, with a note of caution. UK PM warned as the country expected another wave from the highly contagious Delta variant to strike around mid-August. Despite the looming fears of another major outbreak, Johnson on July 12 declared that he would still go ahead with the government’s plans for “reopening’. 

IMAGE: AP