sadiq khan mask tube
Not wearing a face mask on the Tube should be a CRIMINAL offence says Sadiq Khan as London Mayor says he is lobbying government to bring in by law to issue fixed penalty notices
Sadiq Khan has said that failing to wear a face mask on the Tube should become a criminal offence.

The London Mayor has been pushing the the government to allow Transport for London (TfL) to impose a by-law requiring face coverings on the capital's transport network.

Since the easing of restrictions on July 19 'Freedom Day', passengers have only been required to wear a covering as a 'condition of carriage' rather than a legal requirement.

This means TfL staff can tell non-compliant customers to leave a bus or train but are powerless to impose fines.

But Mr Khan now wants a bye-law put in place to effectively bring back the rule that was dropped on July 19.


Comment: So much for the government ordained 'Freedom day'.


The rule change would also mean British Transport Police officers could be used to enforce it.

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Speaking to the BBC's Newscast podcast Mr Khan said: 'We are trying to lobby the Government to allow us to bring in a bye-law, so it will be the law again, so we can issue fixed penalty notices and we can use the police service and BTP to enforce this.'


Comment: The restrictions are being 'eased' only for them to be quickly reimposed, permanently and enforced by law?


'We need people to be coming back to the West End. We want to encourage people to return to their offices.

'They are not going to do so if they don't feel public transport is safe.

'I'm hoping the Government understands, on the issue of public safety and public confidence, we want to be able to use the law to make sure people do wear face masks in spaces where you can't keep your social distance for obvious reasons.'

The call for a legal requirement for face coverings provoked a sharp backlash for people on social media.

Twitter user Patrick Christys commented: 'Taking a stronger stance on mask wearing than he does on knife crime. Thanks Sadiq Khan.'
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The call for criminalisation on refusing to wear a mask provokes backlash online
Gillian McKeith, a TV personality and Covid anti-vaxxer, added: 'Mad Mayor threatens public..Not wearing a face mask on the Tube should be a CRIMINAL offence says Sadiq Khan.'

Ian Harris replied to a tweet of the Mr Khan's announcement saying: 'Looks like Khan is planning for face masks on the tube to be a permanent thing, why can't politicians be honest about the fact that they would like these things to be around for ever?'
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And Christopher Moakes commented: 'Khan has been obsessed with masks since the beginning of the pandemic. It gives the impression of someone who would like to see everyones face permanently covered. He clearly does not care about trying to get back to some kind of normal life without any restrictions.'
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A decision taken by Mr Khan weeks ago means that face coverings are still compulsory on the Tube despite other transport networks choosing not to make them a requirement.

However since the change TfL has said the overall compliance rate remains high at 85 per cent.

The public remains broadly behind the wearing of masks, with 64 per cent of adults in Great Britain saying they still plan to cover their faces in shops, and the same percentage saying they would do so on public transport.

Airlines still mandate mask wearing, while pubs, visitor attractions and local travel companies have all come up with their own rules.


Comment: The nonsensical 'science' of The Covid.


Announcing the rule change in July, the Government said it 'expects and recommends' masks to be worn by workers and customers in crowded, enclosed spaces such as public transport.

Public Health England (PHE) said staff, patients and visitors in all NHS settings must continue to wear face coverings and observe social distancing.