London commuters left baffled by contradictory mask rules as station says wear a mask and don't wear a mask

TfL has said that it intends to retain the "condition of carriage requiring customers to wear face coverings at all times," unless exempt, however while the Rail Delivery Group has offered different advice.

This is in contrast to the guidance released by the Rail Delivery Group.

The organisation has announced that National Rail operators will only ask people to wear a mask in indoor settings which are busy.

At stations where TfL and National Rail trains co-operate, there will be a contradiction in the guidance and the rules for passengers.

A TfL spokeswoman told The Daily Star: “We are grateful that the vast majority of people have followed the rules and helped control the virus and keep each other, and our staff, safe and we ask them to continue to do so.

"Our intention is to retain the condition of carriage requiring customers to wear face coverings at all times while travelling on our network unless exempt, which we have found plays an important role in giving people confidence to use public transport and to travel safely.

"Under this condition of carriage, those who do not wear face coverings may be prevented from using our services or asked to leave the network.

“The transport network is cleaner than ever, with an enhanced cleaning regime, hospital grade cleaning products, widely available hand sanitiser and UV light fittings on escalator handrails to kill viruses, and regular testing by Imperial College London has found no trace of coronavirus on our public transport network."

This comes as the Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced the end of Plan B Covid restrictions on Wednesday.

The end of the restrictions, which were implemented in December 2021, will mean that it will no longer be mandatory for people to wear face masks in public areas from next Thursday.

Government policy will be lifted so that people will no longer be fined for not wearing a face covering on public transport.

Sadiq Khan however has declared that masks will continue to be compulsory on all TFL services, including the tube.

In contrast to the Mayor of London's advice, the Rail Delivery Group announced that National Rail operators will only ask people to wear a mask in busy indoor settings, which will be guidance, and not enforced.