THE UK Transport Secretary has supported a decision to make masks compulsory on the London Underground, despite his own Government scrapping the mandatory wearing of face coverings.
Grant Shapps said the move is “very much in line” with what ministers want to happen, despite Boris Johnson’s decision to lift legal restrictions in England next Monday.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was forced to act to make masks a condition of carriage across the capital’s transport network because of the Government’s decision to lift restrictions.
It comes as leading medics called for face masks to be mandatory in healthcare settings.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in England, the British Medical Association, British Dental Association, Royal College of Nursing and the College of Optometrists called for mandatory use of face masks, social distancing and regular handwashing by the public to stay in place past July 19 in all healthcare settings.
Khan said he was “not prepared” to put Tube, tram and bus users in the capital “at risk” by removing the rules on face coverings after so-called “freedom day”.
Under the terms of use, enforcement officers would be able to deny access or eject passengers found to be non-compliant while using the Transport for London network.
Shapps backed the move and ministers have urged a cautious approach once restrictions are lifted in England on Monday.
READ MORE: UK public not happy with Boris Johnson's plan to lift Covid restrictions
The Transport Secretary told Sky News: “Whilst 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.”
He added: “The airlines have already said that you will need to carry on wearing masks on those. It is very much in line with what we expected – indeed wanted – to happen.”
But the ringing endorsement put him at loggerheads with Cabinet colleagues and senior Tories vowing to bin their masks on July 19.
Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said he'd be tearing off his mask in Parliament because double-jabbed Brits have done their "societal bit".
Khan (below) told ITV’s Good Morning Britain the London-wide rule was an “imperfect solution” but was necessary because “we don’t have national backing”.
“The Government for their own reasons have decided not to do that,” he told the BBC.
Boris Johnson would have risked another damaging Tory revolt in the Commons if he had sought to maintain the legal order to wear face coverings.
The requirement will mean passengers on all TfL services, which includes the Tube, bus, tram, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), Overground and TfL Rail, need to continue to wear a face covering in stations and for the duration of their journey unless they are exempt.
Khan has also asked TfL to put measures in place to help ensure the continued use of masks in taxis and private hire vehicles by both drivers and passengers unless they are exempt.
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin has mandated that people must continue wearing face masks at bus stations in the region and called on the Government to make face coverings mandatory across all public transport networks.
READ MORE: Scotland has seen 41 Covid deaths of fully-vaccinated Scots, health data shows
Meanwhile the letter to Johnson from leading healthcare workers states: “With continued pressures on staff and rising case rates, the use of face masks, social distancing and regular handwashing by the public must stay in place.
“The use of respiratory protection for staff in health and care settings must continue, alongside improvements in ventilation wherever possible.
“While you state that you would expect the public to continue wearing face coverings in healthcare settings, we ask that this is translated into action.
“As the rules change, this must be backed by clear Government communications for the public, so that health and care staff are not caught in the middle and placed at increased risk of abuse.”
And the NHS Providers organisation, which represents NHS trusts, called for “clear communication” about infection control measures in the health service.
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