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19th July Lockdown Easing - Observations and Compliance

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Paul Jones 88

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I've ditched my mask, I only ever used it because I didn't want a fine, I don't believe that a sweat riddled piece of cloth on the mouth is a good thing.
 

Mainline421

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An absolutely shocking announcement by a TPE guard just now which I shall be submitting a complaint for

‘Whilst I’m aware the rules have now changed I ask that you do socially distance and continue to wear a mask on this service as Covid hasn’t changed and is still around’

Not quite word for word but it was definitely worded as if it wasn’t a personal choice!
Had a guard like this yesterday leaving Plymouth it was "while the law has changed it would reassure me and my colleagues if customers continue to wear coverings" sic which after Exeter was reduced to just "You should still wear a face covering at all times on our services" which is highly misleading! Then was never mentioned again. Despite this I don't think he did speak for his colleagues as the first class host and steward weren't wearing face coverings and although quiet no one else in 1st did either.

While the heat and times and I was traveling will definitely have been factors it has been less than 50% on all trains so far for me which is nice to see, it even reached 0% in one busy carriage last night!
 

AlterEgo

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SouthEastern metro lines are sitting at about 30% wearing masks in the middle of the day. My part of London is very ethnically mixed and mask compliance during the mandatory phase of mask wearing was always quite low anyway.
 

Scotrail314209

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Whenever TfL ditch the mandatory mask rule, I may still continue to wear one when travelling on the London Underground. It’s very dusty down there, and wearing a mask prevents me from breathing it all in.
 

Class 33

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Some encouraging posts here about the reduced numbers of mask wearers on public transport. Here in Bristol on the buses so far this week I'd say it's about 60% on average still wearing masks. Hope it further receeds over the coming weeks.
 

dk1

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Although bus shuttles are actually on the main line at Diss Lattitude festival goers are causing East Suffolk line trains to be F&S from Ipswich even today. In a strange way it’s just so good to hear.
 

kristiang85

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I was worried getting onto my SWR train at Clapham Junction just now that everybody boarding seemed to have masks on, but looking round my carriage now most have taken them off.
 

MikeWM

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Just been to my local cinema (Cineworld in Ely, obviously 8-)

Almost all the signage has been taken down and they've gone back to normal entrance/exit (because the foyer is rather small, they've been removing us from the screens via the fire exits for the past year...)

One sign that mask wearing is 'encouraged' - hmm - but the number wearing seemed to be below 50%, which is rather an improvement from previous when it was close to 100% (bar me!). All the staff still masked, but I expected that.

It does appear from an email they sent yesterday that they are still keeping some seats free for 'social' distancing, but I've yet to see what that actually means in practice (I always sit very near the front, and noone else ever seems to want to, so I usually have lots of space anyway).
 

Jamesrob637

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I just went into Tesco sans mask, however I was only picking up two things and I did apply sand hanitiser.
 

ABB125

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Fewer people wearing masks this evening on GWR out of London. Of the four people I can see from where I'm sat, none are wearing masks (well, one person dies have a mask dangling from one ear, but that doesn't really count... :D)
 

yorkie

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Northern guard announced that you should be wearing a mask unless exempt earlier today, also seen similar stories on twitter, to which the response is "staff may not be aware of the changes" which is hard to believe.

Good amount of people not wearing masks on Merseyrail.
I hope you write to Northern to ask that appropriate training be provided in respect of staff providing accurate information in announcements. Please let us know what they say.
An absolutely shocking announcement by a TPE guard just now which I shall be submitting a complaint for

‘Whilst I’m aware the rules have now changed I ask that you do socially distance and continue to wear a mask on this service as Covid hasn’t changed and is still around’

Not quite word for word but it was definitely worded as if it wasn’t a personal choice!
I agree, absolutely needs reporting, and I hope TPE stamp on this.

If I hear anything of this sort I will not be accepting it.
I have noticed school age children are the biggest noticeable group unlikely to be wearing them. Having a child, apparently it is because they are sick of them from School. I guess it became part of the uniform they don’t want in the holidays.
The proportion of school age children who want masks to be mandated must be absolutely tiny, I am pleased to be able to say, based on my observations.
I'm sure the numbers wearing will continue dropping...
Absolutely; this is just the start, and good progress is being made; I expect observations to continue to show a decline in mask wearing over the coming days and weeks.
I like the sound of that guard! I personally have still been wearing a mask, not necessary for my safety but those around me.
It's not "necessary" for anyone for you to wear a mask; if you think it is, feel free to state your case in this thread and we can debate it there:
 
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W-on-Sea

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Rural Oxfordshire: Waitrose this morning maybe 60% masked.
Been on three bus journeys today, none of them VERY crowded. Well under half of people wearing masks on all of them.
 

Cowley

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OK. It’s very difficult to stop face masks eating into almost any discussion around this at the moment and to be fair sometimes it is relevant to the various threads.
Where possible, if you want to go further into discussing the subject (so that every thread in the entire subsection doesn’t become a debate about it), could you please use this thread to go into the subject if you want to go further please:



Thanks all.
 

infobleep

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My barometer of covid-19 is Guildford railway station footbridge. It is a route that people have a right of access across regardless of whether you are using the station, save between 1:30 am and 4 am, when the Farnham Road Bridge is the official route.

During most of the lockdowns and even recently, South Western Railway has, via a poster, been encouraging people to walk round via the road bridge.

That poster is still in place so clearly, they think covid is still prevalent enough to ask people not to use the footbridge. They can only ask as one has a right to use it.

As they ask nicely I've decided to follow the advice.
 

Failed Unit

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I have noticed that queues tend to be longer. Maybe not a 2m gap but certainly more space is given now then pre-Covid in most shops I have used this week.
 

35B

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The proportion of school age children who want masks to be mandated must be absolutely tiny, I am pleased to be able to say, based on my observations.
From a very limited sample (my teenage daughter on her friends and school), I think the proportions may be rather higher than you allow. I pick up a clear discomfort from there about the loss of the requirement to wear masks.

I’m under no illusions that she or they are a representative sample, but they do point to a less binary situation than suggested.
 

LAX54

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I hope you write to Northern to ask that appropriate training be provided in respect of staff providing accurate information in announcements. Please let us know what they say.

I agree, absolutely needs reporting, and I hope TPE stamp on this.

If I hear anything of this sort I will not be accepting it.

The proportion of school age children who want masks to be mandated must be absolutely tiny, I am pleased to be able to say, based on my observations.

Absolutely; this is just the start, and good progress is being made; I expect observations to continue to show a decline in mask wearing over the coming days and weeks.

It's not "necessary" for anyone for you to wear a mask; if you think it is, feel free to state your case in this thread and we can debate it there:
Someone said the other day...... In the beginning everyone was scared (rightly) of the virus, and now today, everyone is scared to go back to normal !
 

route101

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Was down in England yesterday. Most people still wearing masks in shops and on public transport.
 

island

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I was on two TfL buses yesterday. Face covering compliance was about 50% downstairs and 30% upstairs.
 

WelshBluebird

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First proper trip somewhere this week yesterday - to the pub obviously!
About a third of people were wearing masks whilst walking through Temple Meads station and on the platform, about two thirds of people on the train (in my carriage) from Bristol to Bath were wearing masks and about half the people in the actual pub were wearing masks whilst walking about.
 

LowLevel

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On an Edinburgh to London train and getting on for 90% wearing masks even in England. Personally speaking I am using railway travel facilities so I am complying with the train operator's request. Can't really speak for other people's motivations but the train is busy enough to require seat bay sharing with strangers so maybe that has impact.
 

Merseysider

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Was in Newcastle Waterstones earlier and almost 100% of people were wearing a mask, despite no signage being visible. HMV had roughly two-thirds masked up. Interesting to see that not many people in Primark had one on, despite distancing being more of an issue there.

People do tend to be keeping their distance from others where possible.
 

greyman42

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Personally speaking I am using railway travel facilities so I am complying with the train operator's request.
What difference does it make if you are using your travel facilities. Surely you are entitled to use them regardless?
 

Ted633

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Went for my first trip to the local pub last night since 'freedom day'. The pub followed every rule to the letter during restrictions, but now there is nothing at all! Nobody was wearing a mask either. You could say it felt very normal.
 

LowLevel

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What difference does it make if you are using your travel facilities. Surely you are entitled to use them regardless?

They've asked for certain behaviours within their premises. As I am using travel facilities which they grant to me as a non contractual perk I comply with their request because it doesn't cause me any issues to do so.
 

johntea

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Just had my first incident on a Transdev bus whereby the driver insisted I wear a mask as soon as I boarded

I didn’t want to cause a massive scene so will just drop Transdev a message regarding the specific service

(I have been travelling on their services all week without issue, in fact one passenger asked a driver this morning if they were still required to wear a mask and he simply responded correctly it was now a personal choice!)

I wouldn’t have perhaps minded so much if the bus had been slightly busier than the one other passenger on board!!!

Also no problems in Wetherspoons last night, that has felt one of the more normal experiences now you can just walk in, go to the bar and order a drink there and then! They still have a lot of dividers and the like up however
 

Failed Unit

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Feels much more like it should be today. Even on LNER people are making their choices and about 50% in my coach didnt wear a mask. As LNER seem the most heavy handed I hope the don’t attempt to force the issue and change their conditions.
 

MikeWM

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A very high level of mask-wearing still on Norwich-Cambridge and Norwich-Sheringham, and indeed in Norwich itself. Oh well.

Not terribly impressed with GAs messaging either - all 5 trains I’ve been on today still have old notices up that ‘you must wear a face covering’ and the PIS on all 5 has continued to display a message that you can be fined £200 if you don’t.

Announcements from the guards have been mixed too - some seem to have got the idea of putting in an ‘if crowded’ caveat, but at least one didn’t mention that and it sounded very much like he was saying it was still required at all times (on a fairly empty train), and another implied that it was required on that specific service because the train was (fairly) busy.
 
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