Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has said he always “expected, and indeed, wanted” some train, bus and rail companies to insist on mask-wearing on their services, despite the government removing legal requirements for face coverings in England. The minister said he backed the decision of Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, for masks to remain compulsory on public transport in the capital, even though the government had previously said it wanted to move to a system of “common sense” and “personal responsibility” when it comes to mask-wearing. The intervention came as mayors in other English cities considered using their limited powers to follow Khan’s lead. West Yorkshire mayor, Tracy Brabin, announced she would mandate face coverings in bus stations, but did not have the power to do so on buses and trains in her region.
In the north-east of England, where Covid rates are currently running at double the UK average, North of Tyne mayor, Jamie Driscoll, said it was important to keep masks on trams, buses and trains to protect passengers as well as staff. He added: “We wouldn’t allow people to exercise their personal freedom on speed limits when they’re driving. We should make sure that it’s not a choice about protecting other people.” One difficulty facing some of England’s mayors, including Driscoll, is that they do not have devolved powers over transport so cannot unilaterally impose compulsory mask wearing. Driscoll said the move required national intervention, not least because local buses and trams are often run by multiple franchises in different parts of England.
The Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, and his counterpart in the Liverpool city region, Steve Rotheram, are holding a press conference with Brabin at 5pm on Wednesday to discuss the issue. In an interview with Sky News, Shapps said:“While we are going from this being a legal requirement to guidelines, we do expect individual carriers to make sure they are putting in place whatever is appropriate for their network. The airlines have already said that you will need to carry-on wearing masks. It is very much in line with what we expected – indeed wanted – to happen.”
Khan said the two motivations for continuing compulsory face coverings on the London transport network were “public safety and public reassurance”. He said it was especially important that those who are vulnerable felt while travelling. Asked whether the prime minister was trying to gain favour with his party by removing the requirement for masks, while shifting responsibility for bringing in precautions on to TfL, Khan told the BBC’s Today programme: “I wish anybody luck in reading Boris Johnson’s mind. I certainly can’t.” Urging travellers to continue wearing masks on all forms of public transport to protect vulnerable people, Brabin noted that 71% of the public support the continued use of face coverings. “With that in mind … I am today mandating the use of face coverings across bus stations in West Yorkshire. While I would like to go further to include buses and trains, we are doing what is in our power,” she said. The tone of ministers about the future of face coverings has shifted towards a more cautious stance in the past week, amid concern among scientists about sharply rising cases and the pressure on the NHS. The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed on Monday night that face coverings and social distancing would remain compulsory for all those entering hospitals, GP surgeries and other health settings unless therewas a medical need not to wear one. A DHSC spokesperson said: “Face coverings have been needed in healthcare settings throughout the pandemic – as set out in the infection prevention and control guidance – and this will not change as we cautiously proceed with step 4 of the roadmap. While masks will be mandatory on London transport, other train operators will ask passengers to wear a mask only when trains are busy. A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the industry, said: “Passengers should follow the government guidance and, out of respect for others, wear face coverings if an indoor setting is busy. Train travel is low risk, with the majority of carriages well ventilated by air conditioning systems or by doors and windows.”