Face masks can play vital role to ensure safety on buses and trains
Passengers will face sanctions if they don’t adhere to rules, writes Eilish O’Regan
IT’S the latest twist in the face-covering saga – anyone travelling on public transport will soon have to wear a DIY or shop-bought mask to quell the spread of Covid-19. But the mandatory rule comes at a cost because the full two-metre distancing order that made travelling on a bus or train in recent months feel such a safe experience is gone. So will it make a difference and how will it work?
Enclosed spaces
Buses and trains can offer a mix of all the usual risks we are told to avoid – enclosed spaces, crowds, strangers in close proximity and journeys of long duration.
Mask or face coverings are seen as one way of reducing the chances of transmitting the virus, in return for scrapping the two-metre distance between passengers. The numbers needing to use public transport will increase from next week with so many areas of business and activity returning, so it’s a question of necessity.
The two-metre distancing rule would have left people stranded. Even at 50pc capacity, buses and trains could still be very worrying places to be in the middle of winter.
Fellow passengers
Wearing a face covering can help stop a person unknowingly passing on the virus to others if they are suffering from the coronavirus. Depending on the grade of the covering, it can also offer protection to the wearer against infection.
The WHO says medical masks are needed to benefit the wearer and they are recommended for people with underlying illness and those over 60 years of age.
The new regulations here will refer to face coverings.
The Department of Health says that cloth face coverings can be made from materials such as cotton, silk or linen.
It points out you can buy them, or make them at home using items such as scarves, T-shirts, sweatshirts or towels.
Not everyone is handy with a needle, so a pack of 10 shopbought masks will cost around €10 and that could be a financial burden for some people.
Non-believers
Masks are still controversial with some scientists questioning just how effective they are. But the majority now agree that even the sceptics should exercise the precautionary principle and do
whatever it takes to fight the deadly virus. Introducing the mandatory rule in the summer means people will be accustomed to it by winter. There has been a strong resistance here to wearing masks, with just 41pc last week saying they use them. The daily evidence in shops is that this self-reported claim may be exaggerated. So this reluctance will have to be tackled.
Exemptions
Children under 13, people with a disability or those who may have difficulty breathing with a mask will have to be exempted.
Policing the new rule
A set of regulations will have to be drawn up which will have to set out how it will be enforced. A bus driver is likely to be able to question a passenger why they are not wearing a mask. Bus drivers are unlikely to be forced to wear masks and Dublin Bus now has a screen around their seats.
In England, where the same measure was introduced 11 days ago, there is a fine of £100 (€110). But nobody has been penalised so far. There is widespread flouting, and transport bosses said the aim was to educate first and enforce later. Free face masks were initially distributed in some stations.
Face masks on public transport are also mandatory in Austria and Singapore.
Wearing a mask correctly
An information campaign on how to properly wear a mask will have to be stepped up. Too many are still wearing them upside down, for instance. The wire part needs to be over the nose. People need to wash their hands or use hand sanitiser before putting on the face covering or mask. This needs to be repeated when it is removed.
It is important that people don’t touch their face covering when wearing it to avoid hand-to-mask transmission of the virus. If the mask is a face covering, it needs to be washed after use.
Protective measures
The face masks alone are not enough to reduce the risk of infection. Where possible, people need to physically distance and ensure they bring sanitiser with them. It’s impossible not to put your hands on some form of handrail that has been touched by many other passengers.
If public transport can be avoided in favour of walking or cycling, all the better. The most recent poll by the Department of Health showed there was an increase in car usage and walking.
There was less of a marked rise in the use of public transport. How long people spend on transport can also play a role.
There may be case for taking the bus half way to work and then walking the rest of the journey depending on how far away the workplace is. Avoid peak hours if possible. People who can work from home will be encouraged to continue to do so.
Avoid people
It might be difficult to keep your distance but there are simple means of avoiding as many passengers as possible. This means not rushing to board the bus or train and letting people get off first.
Dublin Bus is using the middle doors to allow people to exit, which also reduces the chances of finding yourself near a person who is getting on.
There is also a responsibility on anyone who feels unwell to stay at home and if they think they might have the virus to contact their GP.
If a person who has been on a bus or train tests positive, fellow passengers who were in close proximity are likely to be traced and asked to self-isolate. Nobody will thank anyone for spreading the virus to others.
Wearing a mask has the potential to be seen as an act of solidarity as we enter riskier phases.
An information campaign on how to properly wear a mask will have to be stepped up. Too many are still wearing them upside down