Face coverings still compulsory at Rotherham bus stations next week despite restrictions lifting
South Yorkshire mayor Dan Jarvis said masks would remain mandatory in bus stations and interchanges across the region and urged travellers to carry on wearing them on public transport.
It follows the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday, that the legal requirement to wear masks in enclosed public spaces and on public transport will end on July 19 - a move he was urged by by Mr Jarvis to reconsider.
Mr Jarvis said: “With Covid case numbers continuing to rise rapidly, now is not the time to remove the legal requirement to wear face masks on public transport and in enclosed public spaces.
“This why from Monday, at the bus stations and interchanges we control in South Yorkshire, wearing face coverings will continue to be mandatory.
“We wear masks to protect each other from the virus, and the mixed messages from this government risks making public transport a no-go area for the vulnerable and young people who haven’t yet had both vaccinations.”
Mr Jarvis urged the Government to make masks a legal requirement for transport networks and enclosed spaces across England.
“A national mandate would without a doubt be more effective and create less confusion for passengers and fewer challenges for staff,” he said.
“But if the government is unwilling to act, then alongside other Metro Mayors, we are doing what we can, with the powers we have, to protect our community.
“I urge everyone in South Yorkshire to continue to wear a mask in public so we can protect each other as we emerge from lockdown.
“We’ve come so far through this pandemic – we need to keep everyone as safe as we can as the restrictions lift.”