The wearing of the mask will remain mandatory in London transport

In a press release, Sadiq Khan announced that he had asked Transport for London (TFL) to continue to enforce the requirement to wear masks on buses, subway and all other trains on the capital's rail network after July 19.

TFL is therefore about to announce the news, while most airlines have already announced that this measure will be retained as a sine qua non for entry into their aircraft. Eurostar has done the same. The announcement came at a time when unions and bus industry organizations had attacked the government for its confused communication about the wearing of masks in transportation.

The obligation maintained as deemed necessary

The Mayor of London repeats that wearing the mask remains one of the simplest ways to stop the spread of the virus, knowing that one in three people who have contracted it have no apparent symptoms. This is also recalled by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (sage), whose data demonstrate the need to wear a mask inside, where distance is not possible. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls on people who have been doubly vaccinated to continue to respect this restriction in the same way, particularly because of the contagion of the Delta variant.

"I am not ready to stand by and endanger Londoners and the recovery of our city. That is why, after careful consideration, I have decided to ask TFL to maintain the requirement for passengers to wear facial protection on all TFL services when the national regulations change, "said Sadiq Khan.

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The press release points out that this measure reassures the majority of Londoners who use transport, who wanted to see the obligation to wear a mask retained after 19 July.

The mayor also asked TFL to put in place appropriate measures to ensure that the mask is properly worn in taxis and other private rental vehicles by drivers and customers, unless they benefit from an exemption.

Minute changes in reality

In the transport of the British capital, failure to wear the mask will henceforth only lead to a refusal of entry or service for refractories. No fines will be issued and no prosecution will be initiated.

Over the past year, TFL reported that it had prevented some 212,000 people from boarding their transports until they agreed to wear a mask. At the same time, 14,000 individuals were denied access to transport, 3,200 of whom had to be expelled from the service. However, only 4,300 ticketing notices have been issued since this restriction was introduced.

Andy Byford, London Transport Commissioner, said: "I want to thank the vast majority of people who use our services, who followed the rules and helped to control the virus and ensure the safety of others and our staff. "

He took the opportunity to highlight the means and efforts made to ensure passenger safety. "the transportation network is cleaner than ever, with an enhanced cleaning regime, hospital quality cleaning products, widely available hand disinfectants and UV lamps on escalator ramps to kill viruses. He is pleased.