Guidance Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer transport guidance for operators
Social distancing and face coverings
Passengers and people working on the transport network should keep their
distance from people outside their household, recognising that this will not
always be possible. The risk of infection increases the closer you are to
another person with the virus and the amount of time you spend in close
contact. You are very unlikely to be infected from walking past another
person. Public Health England (PHE) recommends trying to keep 2 metres away
from people, where
possible, as a precaution. However, this is not a rule and the
science is complex. The key thing is to not be too close to people for more
than a short amount of time, as much as you can.
Employers should advise staff and passengers on ways of working to keep their
distance from other people as much as possible. There are situations where
this may not be possible, for example when boarding or alighting, during
security checks, on busier services, busier times of day, when walking through
interchanges and when undertaking maintenance work that requires two people
for the task. Where social distancing is not possible try to minimise the time
spent within 2 metres of others, and keep groups of workers in teams that are
as small as possible (“cohorting”). For example, keeping maintenance crews
working together, rather than mixing crew members on different shifts.
Organisations could consider:

Creating and agreeing a single, clear approach to social distancing for all workers and passengers.

Agreeing and maintaining clear rules for workers and passengers that meet social distancing guidelines, for example:

Clear rules for interacting with passengers, receiving goods, and testing equipment.
Support individual workers who choose to use face coverings in situations where social distancing is not possible.

Organising the workspace and how people work in a single space to follow social distancing guidelines, such as:


Separating workspaces 2 metres apart from one another, where possible.

Use of screens or barriers.
Eliminating face-to-face seating, for example, shift to ‘bench’ style.
Repositioning workspaces to allow for optimal ventilation.
Reducing occupancy of group interaction spaces, including spaces shared with other organisations.
Adjustments for those with specific needs or protected characteristics, for example disabled people, the elderly and pregnant women. Consider groups of people who process information differently or who may not be able to distance from others.



Workplaces should not encourage the precautionary use of extra personal
protective equipment (PPE) to protect against coronavirus outside of clinical
settings or when responding to a suspected or confirmed case.
Where you are already using PPE in your work activity to protect against non-
COVID-19 risks, you should continue to do so. When managing the risk of
COVID-19, additional PPE beyond what you usually wear is not beneficial. This
is because COVID-19 is a different type of risk to the risks you normally face
in a workplace, and needs to be managed through social distancing, hygiene and
fixed teams or partnering, not through the use of PPE.
There are some circumstances when wearing a face covering may be marginally
beneficial as a precautionary measure. The evidence suggests that wearing a
face covering does not protect you, but it may protect others if you are
infected but have not yet developed symptoms. This is most relevant for short
periods indoors in crowded areas.
Government guidance is for passengers, if they can, to wear a face covering
if they need to use public transport.
A face covering is not the same as the surgical masks or respirators used by
healthcare and other workers as part of personal protective equipment. These
should continue to be reserved for those who need them to protect against
risks in their workplace, such as health and care workers, and those in
industrial settings, like those exposed to dust hazards.
Wearing a face covering is optional and is not required by the law. If workers
choose to wear one, it is important to use face coverings properly and wash
hands before putting them on and taking them off. Use the guidance on face
coverings.
If workers choose to use face coverings, you should support them in using face
coverings safely. For example:

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds or use hand sanitiser before putting a face covering on, and after removing it.
When wearing a face covering, avoid touching your face or face covering, as you could contaminate them with germs from your hands.
Change your face covering if it becomes damp or if you’ve touched it.
Continue to wash your hands regularly.
Change and wash your face covering daily.
If the material is washable, wash in line with manufacturer’s instructions. If it’s not washable, dispose of it in your usual waste.
Practise social distancing wherever possible.

[PHE]: Public Health England
  [PPE]: personal protective equipment