Coronavirus: Mayor Sadiq Khan calls on government to make face masks on London transport compulsory

Wearing face masks on public transport in London should be made compulsory, according to Sadiq Khan.

The capital’s mayor has written to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to lobby for a change in policy on face coverings in the fight against COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

In his letter, Mr Khan said he feared the UK was “lagging behind the international community on this issue”.

“The latest scientific evidence shows that they can reduce the chances of an individual unknowingly infecting other people with COVID-19 and can therefore help to slow the spread of the virus,” he said.

“This is consistent with the advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and with actions in other cities and countries around the world, many of whom have made wearing a face covering, especially when it is not possible to socially distance, a requirement before lifting lockdown.”

Mr Khan added: “I am therefore urgently seeking your support on making the wearing of face coverings obligatory when using all public transport.

“Here in London, that consistent approach to all public transport is important, given not all of it is under my control.”

The mayor said such a move would “protect staff and passengers now” and would also be useful when the lockdown started to be eased – a time “when there will be a challenge to maintain social distancing on an increasingly busy transport network”.

Public Health England has emphasised the importance of masks for doctors and nurses treating patients with the coronavirus, but it has not suggested widespread public usage.

However, the government’s chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said on Monday that the UK’s position on masks was under review and would change if the scientific evidence warranted it.

The WHO has said people should only wear masks if they display symptoms of COVID-19 or are taking care of someone who does.

But it has also said that a mask on its own is not enough to protect people from the virus, emphasising the importance of other preventative measures like hand washing as well.

While there is no conclusive evidence to say that masks can stop people from contracting COVID-19, it is accepted that they can block transmission to others.

In April, a study in Nature Medicine suggested surgical masks could help prevent infected people from making others sick with seasonal viruses, including coronaviruses.

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Jeremy Howard, a University of San Francisco research scientist and founder of the #Masks4All campaign, led a review panel with 18 other experts from around the globe and discovered “substantial evidence in favour of widespread mask use to reduce community transmission”.

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: Mayor Sadiq Khan calls on government to make face masks on London transport compulsory