Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, (a) what steps he plans to take to monitor the levels of transmission of covid-19 on public transport and (b) if he will make (i) mask wearing and (ii) social distancing mandatory on all public transport in the event that covid-19 infection levels rise.

It is not possible to systematically identify where infection occurs in individual positive cases and it is therefore not possible to provide definitive data on the different locations where transmissions occur, for example on public transport.

On 19 July, many of the legal restrictions that the Government has imposed through the pandemic were lifted. This included the requirement to wear face coverings on public transport and the social distancing rules (2m or “1m+”). Instead of legal mandate, the Government expects and recommends that people continue to wear face coverings in crowded areas, which includes public transport.