MAYOR DAN JARVIS RESPONDS TO CHANGES TO COVID-19 GUIDANCE

Published 24 January 2022 at 1:57pm

In response to the changes to Covid-19 guidance coming into effect this week, Mayor Dan Jarvis said:

From this week Government will remove all Plan B restrictions, including the legal requirement to wear a face covering on bus, tram, and train.

While COVID cases are declining, they remain very high in our region at 1,030 per 100,000. Hospital admissions are around 21 per day, and there are currently 603 Covid-19 patients occupying hospital beds in South Yorkshire. Long Covid remains a real, but poorly understood concern, and the NHS is under greater pressure than ever.  

We are on a positive trajectory, and it is right that policy should reflect that. But there is a real question whether the lifting of some of these restrictions – in particular the mask mandate, which imposes a relatively minor burden on individuals and the economy – reflects the reality of the continuing public health risk. Other areas which are easing restrictions, including every other UK nation, have kept mask mandates in place.    

We will continue a cautious approach on our public transport network across South Yorkshire. While the government has removed the formal requirement to wear a face covering, in order to protect the NHS and everyone who relies on our public transport network we strongly encourage their continued use on busses, in our interchanges, and indeed any confined public space.