Wearing face coverings will remain compulsory on Manchester’s Metrolink as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham joined other Metro Mayors in a news conference calling for their wearing on all public transport.
However they won’t be mandatory on buses or on trains which don’t come under the control of the Mayor.
Burnham along with West Yorkshire’s Tracy Brabin, Liverpool City Region’s Steve Rotheram, North of Tyne’s Jamie Driscoll, Dan Jarvis in the Sheffield City Region and the West of England’s Dan Norris called for face masks to remain in use on public transport even after the legal requirement for them ends on Monday.
Liverpool mayor Steve Rotheram said that he does not have the power to make masks mandatory.
However, he says he will be asking all transport operators in his constituency to enforce mask-wearing on their services.
Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis and West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin say they will make masks mandatory at the bus stations within their control, but like Burnham and Rotheram, say they do not have the power to make them a requirement across all public transport.
West of England Mayor Dan Norris says he has no power to make masks mandatory but he has written to the prime minister to complain about the “ridiculous” decision not to enforce mask wearing on public transport.
He adds he is calling on people in the West of England to wear masks when they travel.
During questions Andy Burnham acknowledged that the move could lead to difficulties if staff trying to enforce the rule get challenged by passengers who think they should not have to wear a mask.However he said that these concerns were outweighed by the concerns of people wanting to travel on public transport safely.
Later in a written statement Andy Burnham said:
“We all want to support our city-region as it reopens, and I believe that needs to be done as safely as possible for all of our residents.
“There are around 200,000 people in Greater Manchester who are clinically vulnerable and I believe the Government’s decision to drop the requirement to wear face masks on public transport could put those people more at risk when using public transport, or force them off altogether. I do not believe they should be put in that unfair position.
“I have been listening to people’s concerns and, in response, have decided to continue to require the wearing of face coverings on Metrolink as well as at bus stations and interchanges. To that end I have asked TfGM to make this a requirement for Metrolink and at bus stations and interchanges. I will also be strongly encouraging people to wear them on buses and trains.
“I hope the people of Greater Manchester will understand why I have taken this decision and will continue to wear face coverings on public transport. This is a city-region built on a strong sense of solidarity and doing the right thing by each other, and that will be demonstrated by continuing to wear our face coverings.
The ongoing impact of Coronavirus is also affecting the delivery of public transport services and frequencies across Greater Manchester as a result of both positive tests and test and trace requirements.
The impacts are being managed as best they can be through regular monitoring and service amendments – as well as the ongoing efforts of dedicated transport staff across all modes.
