Commuters have reacted with anger to the announcement by Sadiq Khan that passengers on Transport for London (TfL) services will still be required to wear face masks even after the national requirement is lifted.
On Thursday, workers began returning to the office again as the Government ditched its work from home guidance amid the falling of omicron cases in England.
From Jan 26, England will leave Plan B behind - a period of restrictions to combat the spread of the omicron variant which mandated the wearing of masks on public transport in England.
But London Mayor Sadiq Khan said wearing a face covering is one of the most important things people can do to prevent the virus from spreading, and said masks would remain on TfL.
Passengers in the capital were not happy with the move.
One said: "Are you serious? Masks are theatre. The last time I got on a tube before Christmas, thanks to a strike, fewer trains meant we were squashed in like sardines.
"What use were masks? Address the real issues to public health when travelling in TfL."
While many welcomed the continuation of mask wearing, Luke Johnson, Chairman of Brighton's Palace Pier and Risk Capital Partners told people in the capital to resist.
He tweeted: "Everyone on London buses and tubes should claim exemption. Half the staff don't even wear them."
Another commuter said: "The only reason why I wear the stupid mask on the Tube is so I don't get fined and have my wages nicked, which is why I'm on public transport in the first place.
"Once the Government lifts the mandate, you best believe it is coming off my face. It's time to stop."
And Rob Smith tweeted: "No thanks. It’s not a legal requirement. So you will have no chance to enforce. No masks are needed now. Life goes on."
Bus and Tube network passenger surge as commuter says his line 'twice as busy'
The great return to the office has begun as data showed more traffic on the roads this morning while tubes and buses saw more commuters.
With people no longer being told to work from home with immediate effect, Transport for London (TfL) saw an 8 per cent increase on the tube network compared to this time last week and a 3 per cent increase on bus services.
This comes after Boris Johnson announced that Plan B measures will be dropped across England from Thursday next week, including mandatory Covid certification and the wearing of face masks.
"From now on, the Government is no longer asking people to work from home, and people should now speak to their employers about arrangements for returning to the office," the Prime Minister told MPs on Wednesday.
One commuter said that his tube journey to Canary Wharf this morning was “the busiest I have seen since omicron landed”.
Viral Patel told The Telegraph that the Northern Line was “twice as busy as last week”, while the Jubilee Line was around three to four times as packed.
Figures published by location technology firm TomTom also showed the level of road congestion at 8am in London and Manchester was higher than at the same time last week, by six and seven per cent respectively.
Road congestion levels up in London and Manchester
Figures published by location technology firm TomTom show the level of road congestion at 8am in London and Manchester was higher than at the same time last week, but was relatively stable in several other major English cities.
- In London, congestion levels increased from 66 per cent on January 13 to 72 per cent on Thursday.
- In Manchester, congestion levels rose from 56 per cent on January 13 to 63 per cent on Thursday.
- In Birmingham, congestion levels dropped from 57 per cent on January 13 to 55 per cent on Thursday.
- In Leeds, congestion levels fell from 48 per cent on January 13 to 44 per cent On Thursday.
The figures represent the proportion of additional time required for journeys compared with free-flow conditions.
Paddington railway station in west London was busy on Thursday morning.
A number of commuters arrived on mainline trains before continuing their journeys on Tube services.
Sadiq Khan: 'We must not get complacent'
The London Mayor said the fight against the virus has not ended, continuing: "Wearing a face covering is one of the single most important and easiest things we can all do to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and the Government should rethink their plans and keep legislation in place to make them mandatory on public transport as well as in shops and indoor public venues.
"This ensures the rules are clear and consistent and, crucially, means enforcement action can continue to be carried out on our transport network.
"If we have learnt anything from this pandemic, it is that we must not get complacent and undo all our hard work and sacrifices.
"That's why face coverings will remain a condition of carriage on Transport for London services. I'm asking everyone in our capital to do the right thing and continue to wear a face covering when travelling on TfL services to keep us all protected and to prevent further restrictions from being necessary later down the line."
He was backed by Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association, who said: "As ever our union puts public health first and we know that face coverings help reduce transmission of the virus and will give the public confidence on public transport.
"It's vital our brave transport members who have been on the front line of this pandemic continue to feel they are protected.
"Sadiq Khan is spot on when he says face coverings should remain beyond the end of Plan B, especially given the rates of infection we are still seeing.
"Clearly the Government should back this, not only for London but across the rest of our public transport network."
