West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin says masks must be worn in bus stations after July 19

Masks must continue to be worn indoors at bus stations across West Yorkshire after July 19, Mayor Tracy Brabin has said.
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The rule will apply across all bus stations which the West Yorkshire Combined Authority operates, Ms Brabin said.

They are: Batley, Bradford Interchange, Brighouse, Castleford, Cleckheaton, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Keighley, Leeds, Ossett, Pudsey and Pontefract.

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It comes after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan asked Transport for London (TfL) to enforce the use of mask wearing on buses and trains as a “condition of carriage”, even after legal restrictions have been lifted.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin during a visit Switch Mobility, an electric bus factory in Sherburn in Elmet, North Yorkshire, which provides buses to London (photo: Amy Murphy/PA Wire).Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin during a visit Switch Mobility, an electric bus factory in Sherburn in Elmet, North Yorkshire, which provides buses to London (photo: Amy Murphy/PA Wire).
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin during a visit Switch Mobility, an electric bus factory in Sherburn in Elmet, North Yorkshire, which provides buses to London (photo: Amy Murphy/PA Wire).

Ms Brabin called on the public to think of others and continue wearing face coverings on public transport.

She is also calling on the Government to mandate the use of face masks across all public transport networks, including bus and rail services.

Ms Brabin will join Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham and Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotherham, for a press conference this afternoon.

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Ms Brabin said: “The past 18 months has been incredibly hard for our West Yorkshire communities - no more so than for the vulnerable and for people who have tragically lost loved ones.

"This is why, today I am urging people across the region to wear a face mask on all of our public transport networks.

"I hope this will give encouragement to those who are vulnerable – such as those using public transport to attended chemotherapy appointments – to continue to travel on public transport.

"With that in mind, and with 71% of the public supportive of the continued use of face coverings, I am today mandating the use of face coverings across bus stations in West Yorkshire. Whilst I would like to go further to include buses and trains, we are doing what is in our power.

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Ms Brabin added: “I have been consistently clear with Government - they have the power to mandate face masks across all transport networks and I would support them to make that decision as restrictions lift. While the vaccination roll out is impressive, we still have further to go with infections across West Yorkshire still high.

“We have come so far. Let’s stick together, support each other so places like West Yorkshire can recover and thrive.”