Easing of Coronavirus restrictions in Scotland

[island]

Technically they were optional from the Sark Viaduct after Gretna Junction. I've had words with 2 TM's about that

Well in just over an hour they'll be optional throughout.

 

[Huntergreed]

I wonder, for sleeper passengers (for whom it is a condition of carriage due to the scottish mandate) this evening, will it be optional from midnight or mandatory until tomorrow evening?

 

[Watershed]

I wonder, for sleeper passengers (for whom it is a condition of carriage due to the scottish mandate) this evening, will it be optional from midnight or mandatory until tomorrow evening?

CS carries passengers under the NRCoT, exactly as per every other National Rail operator. The NRCoT do not contain a mask mandate so it is not a condition of travel on CS.

The Scottish Revocation Regulations take effect at the start of the 18th, and accordingly any CS passengers who are outwith their rooms can take their masks off at 00:00:00

 

[102 fan]

Oh dear oh dear...

FM reported to police over mask rule breach video

Footage shows Nicola Sturgeon without a mask during a visit to a barber shop in East Kilbride.

www.bbc.co.uk

I get the feeling if this had been Boris, the thread would be a lot bigger than it is........

 

[El Blanco]

Out and about in Glasgow city centre shops today. More masks being worn than I thought there would be.

 

[Huntergreed]

Out and about in Glasgow city centre shops today. More masks being worn than I thought there would be.

Likewise, but on my Scotrail service up here, nobody at all (including staff) wore one which was excellent to see

I expect a gradual decrease through time similar to what we’ve seen in England.

 

[yorkie]

Out and about in Glasgow city centre shops today. More masks being worn than I thought there would be.

It'll take a while, but it won't be long before masked people will be the minority and it will continue to decline until it's just a few die-hards.

It's a bit too political in Scotland for there to be the sort of sudden drop that I observed in places like Switzerland and Hungary. It'll be more like England but maybe even a bit slower, with some people being receptive to the SNP trying to push a pro-mask mantra.

I see Scotrail are desperately trying to promote this mantra:

https://twitter.com/ScotRail/status/1515943207686746114

We recommend customers continue to wear a face covering while travelling on our trains and at stations in line with Scottish Government guidance.

The vast majority of replies are negative (of course Twitter's algorithm puts the pro-mask comments on top, but you only need to scroll down a bit to see the reality) and just show how divisive such tweets and policies are.

It's not just time to drop the mandates, but the entire mantra needs to be dropped.

 

[Falcon1200]

I see Scotrail are desperately trying to promote this mantra:
https://twitter.com/ScotRail/status/1515943207686746114

Scotrail can hardly promote this policy when, as observed today, many of their own staff do not wear masks.

 

[yorkie]

Scotrail can hardly promote this policy when, as observed today, many of their own staff do not wear masks.

Not morally and not with any credibility but since when have train companies cared about that?

LNER have been doing this for weeks, so it's no surprise to see Scotrail do likewise.

Most passengers ignore their desperate attempts to get people to mask up, fortunately. They'll give up eventually.

 

[alangla]

I won’t be the slightest bit surprised if the audio pollution at the station tomorrow still includes the messages about face coverings being compulsory on trains and in stations.

 

[Huntergreed]

I won’t be the slightest bit surprised if the audio pollution at the station tomorrow still includes the messages about face coverings being compulsory on trains and in stations.

It certainly did at Dumfries this morning, generally I find TOC’s are really keen to install or adapt signage and announcements when rules are tightened, but not so much when they are loosened.

 

[danm14]

It certainly did at Dumfries this morning, generally I find TOC’s are really keen to install or adapt signage and announcements when rules are tightened, but not so much when they are loosened.

I don't think that's hugely surprising, given that in most cases installing the signage or updating it to deal with tightened restrictions was either legally required or perceived to be legally required; but removing it or updating it to reflect eased restrictions has not been legally required

 

[alangla]

I just wish they’d give it a rest. I last travelled a couple of weeks ago and there were 3 different face covering messages, voiced by different people, playing on rotation, one of which is just a long string of patronising orders about letting people off the train, standing back from the platform edge and the usual favourite, buying a ticket before boarding. GIVE IT A (expletive here) REST!!!!!!!!!

 

[Acfb]

They were still doing announcements about social distancing in the Gyle centre a few days ago which was really weird.

 

[El Blanco]

The train into Edinburgh on my morning commute was 70% mask free today. However I received an email from ScotRail mid morning trying to intice me into a Flexipass. Immediately, at the top, there is a big picture of a person wearing a surgical mask on an open air platform. No wonder people can get confused.

 

[alangla]

Credit where credit is due today. All posters, stickers, barriers, one way systems and most importantly the constant announcements at the stations have gone. The only exception I spotted was the “wear one protect everybody” poster on board. Fair number of staff & passengers wearing masks but that’s entirely their choice & right.

 

[Berliner]

Credit where credit is due today. All posters, stickers, barriers, one way systems and most importantly the constant announcements at the stations have gone. The only exception I spotted was the “wear one protect everybody” poster on board. Fair number of staff & passengers wearing masks but that’s entirely their choice & right.

I can sometimes hear platform announcements from a nearby station in my house and today I've not heard any mask ones.

 

[kez19]

Watching Pluto TV (app via firestick) the amount of times that COVID sense ad (Scot Gov) gets played in an hour its beyond a joke!

 

[ld0595]

Took a flight from Heathrow to Glasgow last night and is I'd say at most there were 5% of passengers masked. A few more were masked up in the terminal but the vast majority were not.

 

[Scotrail12]

Even though I quit masks 9 months ago, it is so good to finally see people’s faces. Communication feels much easier, particularly since I don’t have the best hearing.

Keeping my eye out for which businesses are wearing mask and which aren’t. Seems like Sainsburys still are, Cineworld not.

 

[ex-railwayman]

Even though I quit masks 9 months ago, it is so good to finally see people’s faces.

Really? I hate seeing people's faces, and I wear my mask on trams every week, which is still encouraged in Nottingham. I can also still stick my tongue out in all the shops and supermarkets at the indisciplined and uncouth staff on a whole manner of things, telling folks to eff off quietly has never been so enjoyable for the last few years, pity I'll have to stop doing it soon.......

 

[Scotrail12]

Some twit just came on the PA from the ScotRail control room to say that masks are still advised.

Why is it the company’s business? It’s no longer a legal requirement and they have no right to tell anyone what to wear, especially when it is no longer law.

 

[Huntergreed]

Some twit just came on the PA from the ScotRail control room to say that masks are still advised.

Why is it the company’s business? It’s no longer a legal requirement and they have no right to tell anyone what to wear, especially when it is no longer law.

I presume they’ve been surprised (as I pleasantly have!) that so few have chosen to wear them and they feel they need to do something.

I’m sure it’ll drop off through time

 

[Berliner]

Social distancing stickers on the platforms at Waverely were being scraped off by the cleaners last night.

 

[kez19]

Social distancing stickers on the platforms at Waverely were being scraped off by the cleaners last night.

That’s one thing I didn’t see at my local was those stickers on the platforms!

I have noticed though the arty farty “distance” stuff has disappeared on the streets in Dundee

 

[D1024]

I flew home to Aberdeen from Southampton this afternoon - my first maskless flight in over 2 years As its only a few days since the Scottish mask mandate was dropped and the Nictator seems convinced people will carry on wearing them I was a little surprised to see absolutely no-one wearing a mask at all - neither on the plane nor at Aberdeen Airport. Wonderfully back to normal.

 

[Huntergreed]

I flew home to Aberdeen from Southampton this afternoon - my first maskless flight in over 2 years As its only a few days since the Scottish mask mandate was dropped and the Nictator seems convinced people will carry on wearing them I was a little surprised to see absolutely no-one wearing a mask at all - neither on the plane nor at Aberdeen Airport. Wonderfully back to normal.

A pleasant surprise as well - good to hear nobody is bothering. Makes it slightly so harder for the Nictator to reintroduce if she so wishes

 

[hexagon789]

I have seen about 50-60%, sometimes even higher in the past few days. That was my experience of Glasgow City Centre twice and the West End once. Going by train twice and the Subway once.

Still a way to go to match the situation in England when I was there in February where over the whole three days I was in Chester I think I could genuinely say I saw fewer than 10 people wearing masks over those three days.

 

[Bikeman78]

I have seen about 50-60%, sometimes even higher in the past few days. That was my experience of Glasgow City Centre twice and the West End once. Going by train twice and the Subway once.

Still a way to go to match the situation in England when I was there in February where over the whole three days I was in Chester I think I could genuinely say I saw fewer than 10 people wearing masks over those three days.

I agree that masks on trains in England, certainly in London, are all but gone. It's reached the point that I think it's odd when I see someone wearing one.

By contrast, two weeks ago loads of people were wearing them in Glasgow on trains and in hotels and restaurants.

 

[hexagon789]

I agree that masks on trains in England, certainly in London, are all but gone. It's reached the point that I think it's odd when I see someone wearing one.

By contrast, two weeks ago loads of people were wearing them in Glasgow on trains and in hotels and restaurants.

I don't know how long it took to tail off in England, given there was of course the split in removal of mandate, restoration and then removal again.

Did it sort of tail off over a period of time the first instance it was removed as a mandate and then practically overnight the second time round or was there a tail off both times or not at all and just a huge drop?

(In some other European countries there seems to have been pretty much a huge drop bssically overnight, from total compliance to about 5-10% or less.)