As England prepares for tougher Covid laws to combat the Omicron variant, commuters were seen wearing more face covers on buses and trains this morning.
From midnight, police will be given the power to issue people with fines of between £200 and £6,400 if face coverings are not worn on trains, buses and tubes and in shops, banks and post offices. These rules are not applicable to indoor venues like bars, restaurants and theatres.
Unions warn that Transport for London’s requirement for the wearing of masks is being “openly ignored” on a large scale. Today, however, most Tube riders were wearing face covers, although some still wore them.
Network Rail discovered that only 20% of passengers were still using masks while riding trains in September. However, this morning, most Waterloo Station commuters had their faces covered.
This is because some train companies still enforce their mask mandates, while others decide not to. Some passengers might also be eligible for medical exemptions.
On the Newcastle Metro there was mixed news. Many passengers were seen wearing masks, while others did not. Nexus last month warned passengers that less 40% still used masks even though it is a required requirement.

Today’s morning commute saw three women wear face masks while riding on the London Underground train.

Unions warned that the Transport for London’s current requirement for wearing masks was being ignored on a large-scale. However, today’s pictures showed most commuters wearing masks.

Network Rail discovered that only 20% of passengers were wearing masks while riding trains in September. However, this morning, most Waterloo Station passengers had their face covered. Some people without masks might be exempt from medical treatment

Commuters using the Metro Underground Train System in Newcastle City Centre this morning – some with masks, some without Medically-exempt may include those who don’t wear masks

Commuters in the Newcastle Metro Metro on this morning. Tomorrow, public transport will be again mandatory for all passengers without masks

From midnight, police will be given the power to issue people with fines of between £200 and £6,400 if face coverings are not worn on trains, buses and tubes and in shops, banks and post offices (pictured are Newcastle Metro commuters)

This morning, passengers left Birmingham Snow Hill Station. The tomorrow mask mandate won’t apply to hospitality venues
Richard Walker, Iceland’s managing director, supported the reinstatement of mandatory mask wear in shops last night but stated that it couldn’t be left up to retailers to enforce.
He told the Mail: ‘We fully support the reintroduction of compulsory face masks in shops, however we won’t be asking our store colleagues to police it.
‘Our store teams, alongside all retail workers, have shown heroic efforts in terms of ensuring safety for customers and building back consumer confidence and it’s crucial that we stay focused on the long-term recovery of the high street.
‘We need to continue to encourage people to shop in stores if they feel comfortable, and I’m hopeful that the latest guidelines won’t discourage customers from doing so.’
The British Retail Consortium said it is up to the police to enforce the measure, adding: ‘Customers are asked to respect the rules and be considerate to their fellow shoppers and to hard-working shop staff.’
The Co-op chain said: ‘As throughout the pandemic, we support our customers wearing a face covering when shopping in our stores. It’s not our place to enforce face coverings or to refuse to serve a customer who chooses not to wear one.’
Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said: ‘We are helping retailers to prepare for the change in face covering rules, but they are extremely concerned about abuse against their staff from customers who don’t want to wear a face covering.
‘We urge all customers to be respectful towards shop workers during this time and remember they don’t set the policy, they’re just doing their job by communicating it.’
Dr Julian Tang, a clinical virologist at the University of Leicester, said: ‘We have been through all of this before with the Alpha and Delta variants. But the main difference is that the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of masks and social distancing has increased – and there is more conviction now amongst scientists that these measures do work to reduce the spread of the virus.’
A paper presented earlier this year by the Environmental Modelling Group found the proportion of Covid cases in the population linked to the virus being spread in shops, hospitality and leisure facilities was ‘relatively low’.

On the London Underground, this morning, a man with glasses and Union flag hat was wearing a blue facemask.

Commuters are arriving at Leeds railway station today. From tomorrow, face masks will be compulsory in shops and on public transport in England

The London Underground Jubilee Line was home to many people, some with masks while others were not. These people may be exempted from medical treatment.

Today’s commuters to work on London Underground are faced with the reality that face covers must be worn. Those who don’t have them might get an exception.
They said that the risk of infection was higher in hospitality than retail and leisure.
An international study that was published in March suggests that mask wearing is associated with a 33% drop in Covid cases globally.
Last night, Education Secretary Nadhim Zhawi recommended that all school personnel and visitors in Years 7 and higher wear masks when entering communal areas.
Teachers in primary education and below should also follow the guidance – but not pupils, the Department for Education said.

An international study published this month suggests that mask wearing was associated with a 53% reduction in Covid cases around the world. Image: This morning’s Tube

Commuters descend an escalator at London Bridge station, London Underground network.

This morning, a woman in London was seen wearing a face mask on a bus. (Coverings are still required on TfL buses even though they have been relaxed elsewhere.

Under new regulations to combat the Omicron variant, masks will be compulsory on all public transport systems and shops starting tomorrow (pictured here: a London bus passenger today).

This morning, people wearing masks traveled on the London Underground. Some people may be exempt from wearing masks.