This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Rejected petition Make wearing face coverings law on public transport
We want it to be a legal requirement to wear a protective surgical or homemade face mask where keeping a 2 metre distance is impossible, such as on public transport. This is crucial in preventing a second wave of the virus, protecting the NHS and getting people back to work to kickstart the economy.
More details
Face masks offer an important tool in the management of community transmission of Covid-19. Supporting evidence comes from analysis of: (1) the incidence of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission; (2) the role of respiratory droplets in transmission, (3) studies of the use of homemade and surgical masks to reduce droplet spread. Our analysis suggests that their use could reduce transmission if widely used where physical distancing is not possible or predictable, such as public transport.
This petition was rejected
Why was this petition rejected?
We can't publish petitions when the request is something that's already happening or something that has been announced since you started your petition.
We think your petition is covered by Government or Parliament action already. If you'd like something else, you could start a new petition clearly explaining what it is.
Since you started your petition the Government has made face coverings mandatory on public transport: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/face-coverings-to-become-mandatory-on-public-transport
If you would like face coverings to be made mandatory in other circumstances, you might like to sign some of the following petitions:
Make it mandatory to wear a face mask in public during Covid-19 Pandemic: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/304397
Supply and mandate the use of face masks and gloves: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/308209
Supply surgical masks to be used by the general public: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/306950
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you find out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/
We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.