Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Passengers are urged to wear masks on buses
PEOPLE are now being urged to wear face masks on public transport with one union saying it should be compulsory.
Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said yesterday Translink staff will be provided with face masks and shields and urged the public to follow suit.
She added in a statement: “It is important we recognise that and do all we can to encourage people to follow this advice.
“It is only as a result of the efforts and selflessness of all Translink workers that our public transport services continue.
“I am determined to do all I can to support and protect them and have asked Translink to ensure all of the necessary procedures and Personal Protection Equipment continue to be in place to ensure the safety of staff.”
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Unite spokesman Davy Thompson said the announcement was “welcome” but that it “does not go far enough”. Mr Thompson said: “It is not enough for the minister to recommend the public wear face masks on buses and trains – we need to see them made compulsory.
“Our drivers’ lives and those of fellow travellers are at stake.
“Face masks alone are not enough to protect passengers and our members – we need to see social distancing secured through additional funding of transport services.” Mr Thompson also called for clarity on if crossborder bus and rail routes will adopt same approach to infection control.
He added: “We are also concerned that if there is a different approach taken North and South drivers and inspectors on cross-border services could be placed in the invidious position of having to police different infection control regimes as the vehicle crosses the frontier.”