Get back to work... but not during rush hour and in a mask on public transport
COMMUTERS should always wear face coverings when travelling and avoid using public transport during the rush hour, Scotland’s Transport Secretary has said.
Michael Matheson warned capacity on trains and buses will be drastically reduced as lockdown is eased.
He said the transport system’s capacity could be as low as 10 per cent of normal operations and will be ‘substantially constrained’ to try to ensure social distancing.
Train, bus and tram operators say the measures mean available seat numbers will never be more than 25 per cent.
In a statement to the Scottish parliament on the Government’s first-phase plans for easing coronavirus restrictions, Mr Matheson said people ‘will need to take responsibility for their own decisions’ if they have to use public transport.
Ministers are now urging almost everyone to wear face coverings when using trains, buses and trams.
Mr Matheson told MSPs: ‘People should – and are expected to – wear face coverings as an additional measure when using public transport, and as a consideration to staff and fellow passengers.
‘Please come prepared with your own face covering when using public transport.’
He encouraged businesses to be flexible, allowing people to work from home if possible.
Mr Matheson urged people who have to use public transport to see if they can alter their start and finish times so as to avoid the rush hours.
He said: ‘The level of physical distancing needed as we navigate the phases of the route map will obviously affect... public transport capacity, with operators estimating that two-metre physical distancing could mean capacity is anywhere between 10 per cent and 25 per cent of normal.’
He added: ‘Employers need to demonstrate leadership in being prepared to support staff who can work from home, to be able to continue to work from home.’
Mr Matheson said he has been working with operators and unions to develop a plan to help inform travellers how to access public transport safely, discourage non-essential journeys and avoid the busiest areas and times.
He said ministers are still ‘looking at a range of options to try to help to manage aspects of demand’, citing short commuter journeys as a particular challenge.
Scottish Labour’s Colin Smyth raised concerns that the guidance did not make face coverings compulsory, warning that ‘so much ambiguity in the guidance’ meant it could not be enforced.
Mr Matheson said there is an ‘expectation’ for travellers on public transport – excluding ferries – to cover their face, except those with a medical condition preventing it.
ScotRail operations director David Simpson said: ‘We are asking our customers to play a very important role in keeping everyone safe by following the Scottish Government advice to cover their face while travelling. The message remains the same: people should only travel when it is essential to do so.
‘We need everyone to take personal responsibility.’
The Government will also provide an extra £20million for councils to introduce temporary walking and cycling infrastructure to enable physical distancing after demand exceeded the initial £10million announced in April.
Sustrans, the walking and cycling charity, said the funding could help to ‘provide a positive and lasting change in our walking, cycling and wheeling habits as we transition out of lockdown’.
Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP Dean Lockhart said his party welcomed the plan but added: ‘There are still a number of unanswered questions around the supply of PPE for transport workers and a lack of clarity on enforcement of social distancing guidelines.’
Many countries, including Germany and Austria, have already made it mandatory for people to wear face coverings on public transport.
‘Ambiguity in the guidance’