Face masks on public transport.

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Dave7

Legendary Member
Location
Cheshire
I was waiting outside a chemist earlier (one customer as a time only). A few yards away is a bus stop. Waiting at the stop was,a guy with 2 toddlers. I was waiting 15 minutes so he was waiting at least that.
Bus pulls up, the 3 of them got on only for the driver to turn them away.
I felt sorry for them** as its going to take a while to sink in.
**nothing the driver could do but obey the law.
Driving home, another bus stop with 3 adults.....none wore masks so (unless they were stashed) they wont be getting on any bus.
 

Lozz360

Veteran
Location
Oxfordshire
Driving home, another bus stop with 3 adults.....none wore masks so (unless they were stashed) they wont be getting on any bus.
Unless they had a letter from their GP explaining they were asthmatic.
 

classic33

Leg End Member
The drivers have no actual authority to turn a passenger off the bus. Something that many don't seem to like, mandatory but they can't enforce it.

FirstBus have these on their site.
533346

Their advice being to print off the one that applies, or use a picture of the relevant one on your handset. Drivers are not allowed to turn anyone off if they present either upon boarding.
 
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Dave7

Dave7

Legendary Member
Location
Cheshire
I feel sorry for them, but the rules haven't exactly been kept a big secret!

People don't have to use masks - any old face covering would do. I wonder if one would get away with pulling a tee-shirt up over nose and mouth?
They would if they were called Ellie Goulding.
 

tom73

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Sadly this is what happens with poor staff training. The law makes it clear under 11 are not required to use them.
In fact official public advice for anyone is not to use them on anyone under 3.
It also list's other valid examples and has been pointed out you do not need to prove it the driver. Not just medical carers or traveling with someone who relies on lipreading are on the list too.On top of which it turns out yes it's the law but only a police officer can really enforce it once on the bus. If they call them out our local force has informed bus companies it has no intention of responding.
 
In Edinburgh, and I understand so too in Glasgow, the bus companies have expressly told their drivers that it’s not their job to enforce mask wearing and they should be letting passengers board regardless of whether they are wearing one or not. This is causing a lot of anxiety and annoyance to the passengers who are following the rules and wearing one, finding themselves surrounded for the duration of their journey by those who aren’t.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
It shouldn't cause any anxiety. By the WHO's own reckoning their benefit is "very slight", reducting the chances of virus transmission by between only 3 and 11%. It makes little difference whether the person next to them is wearing one or not. And then the mere act of an untrained person handling one as the repeatedly take it one and off actually increases the chances of transmission via the hands instead.

And why should they feel anxious if my asthmatic daughter got on the bus without a mask? Some people really need to get a grip.

Indeed, I've designed my own card for her in case we ever get on the bus. It reads, "I'm not wearing a mask - you can either a) mind your own business, or b) discuss the matter with the very large gentleman who is sat next to me" We have an absolutely toxic culture in the UK of sticking our noses into other peoples business instead of ensuring our own behaviour is correct and setting an example.
 
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tom73

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
As with everything to date it's all too wishy washy it's like they want to fail. Maybe now economists are openly talking about general public face covering wearing. As part of covid economic recovery the message may well change to a black and white one.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
But economists are clearly not doctors. People with heart conditions, breathing conditions, even anxiety conditions are physiologically incapable of safely wearing a face covering, and to not permit reasonable adjustments for these disabilities is unlawful. Mandatory face coverings in public will never, ever happen.

The regulations re face coverings on public transport are not wishy washy - they are in fact very simple. The problem is people have not taken the brief moment required to read and understand them, instead preferring to spend that time to either recoil in feigned terror, or stick their noses in where it's not wanted.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
It's not the masks that are a worry on public transport - it's all the hand rails - that you'll need to use to move down a moving vehicle, which everyone has touched.
 

tom73

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
That's very true but money has a magic power to get governments to do things and sharpen minds. If all the effect it has is to fix all the mix public health messages. It has to be welcome we can't open things up "safely" without them. Even now I still see pointless hand washing.
It's not impossible to get simple messages out so everyone knows the do's and don'ts . So no-one feel's discriminated , singled out or in fear of going out.
 

cookiemonster

Legendary Member
Location
Hong Kong
It shouldn't cause any anxiety. By the WHO's own reckoning their benefit is "very slight", reducting the chances of virus transmission by between only 3 and 11%. It makes little difference whether the person next to them is wearing one or not. And then the mere act of an untrained person handling one as the repeatedly take it one and off actually increases the chances of transmission via the hands instead.

And why should they feel anxious if my asthmatic daughter got on the bus without a mask? Some people really need to get a grip.

Indeed, I've designed my own card for her in case we ever get on the bus. It reads, "I'm not wearing a mask - you can either a) mind your own business, or b) discuss the matter with the very large gentleman who is sat next to me" We have an absolutely toxic culture in the UK of sticking our noses into other peoples business instead of ensuring our own behaviour is correct and setting an example.

A study by the Uni of Hong Kong last month concluded that masks reduce infection risks from 66% to 16%. The evidence is in HK’s very low infection and mortality rate. We’ve now gone 16 days with no local transmission and any infections recently have been imported, especially from the petri dish called Pakistan.
 
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