I didnt think it would be long before this story came back..
“Man fuming as 'students ignore mask rules' on Plymouth Citybus”
“"I caught the 16:17 42C headed to the city centre. Almost all the other passengers, whom were clearly students, had followed the rules that came into place that very day. A group of students, all young men, stood at the stop laughing and joking.
"They were not wearing masks. I boarded the bus ahead of them, sat in the disabled seats and watched them proceed to get on, not one of them being asked or challenged about not having a mask on. I can only assume they're either immune from the rules, or from Covid-19."
He added: "I contacted both Marjon and Citybus, and Citybus responded to say that it was not their job to enforce mask wearing, yet others have commented saying Stagecoach have a no mask, no travel, no exemption rule.
"Why Citybus think they have no standing, legally, to enforce this mask wearing is beyond me.
"My family and I have no choice but to get around the city on the buses. Myself and my partner are both disabled and rely on buses to get out to shops, nursery, appointments and so on”
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/man-fuming-students-ignore-mask-6313349
Bus drivers and the operators cant win – if they did stop their buses and insist on mask wearing then the paper would be full of people complaining about that and insisting they are exempt – without having, or needing any proof of such exemption – making it impossible for drivers to police even if they had to. I share the passenger’s concerns about those who are not wearing masks but without clear direction from the Govt – and official enforcement then that's just not going to happen. I'm just glad I have to option of working from home!
Are more passengers wearing masks now or is it like in supermarkets where it seems there are plenty of people who still dont bother?
Meanwhile in Dawlish today…
I must admit to having the live cam on my pc for a while this morning while I worked – it was pretty rough, but it seems that the new wall being constructed did its job – its just that maybe the trains are not up to it? I thought it was just the Virgin trains that had problems in weather like this?
I would like to remind people that some people are exempt from wearing a mask, It is against the law to discriminate against them under the 2011 equalities act this includes asking people why they are not wearing a mask. In doing so you can b liable to provide them with up to £9,000 in compensation.
ReplyDeleteI agree - but it all just makes it impossible for drivers to enforce the mask wearing, like the passenger in this news item wants them to.
DeleteSo asking politely if someone has an exemption is discrimination? Surely not.
DeleteWhat about asking someone boarding a bus with a disabled pass to see the pass! Is that discrimination too?
Instead of moaning about everyone else, the complainant should take responsibility for his own well-being and use a two-way mask, as well as practicing social distancing (not always possible on a bus around 16.00 though).
ReplyDeleteI think this will always be a bone of contention for everyone for as long as the mask ‘rules’ are in place, but I think everyone’s annoyances are being entirely misplaced now.
ReplyDeleteIt is the fault of the government that there are so many people against the rules, not the fault of the bus drivers, pub workers, supermarket employees who the government are trying to pass the responsibility on to for enforcement.
Had their message been clear and timely in the first place, we’d likely not be in the situation we are today.
It is not the bus drivers responsibility to ask passengers for face coverings is it, really. It is our own individual responsibility to adhere to guidance - and through losing faith in government, and generally being fed up of Covid, it seems now that more people are opting to ignore the advice/guidance/rules.
Bottom line though, it is not the responsibility of a normal citizen going about their daily routine of work to enforce rules and guidelines on behalf of the government.