Plea for Preston pupils to wear masks on school buses

School student wearing face mask in classroom Pic: Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay — Pic: Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay

Pupils are being urged to wear face coverings on school buses to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Lancashire County Council is stressing the importance of wearing a face covering after reports that many high school aged children aren’t following the advice to do so.

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It is the law now for everyone aged 11 and over to wear face coverings on public buses and is currently advisory on school buses.

Lancashire County Council’s Director of Public Health, Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, said: “We have seen really worrying signs of the infection rate increasing in Lancashire and hospital admissions are starting to increase. If we don’t act now we could be facing another lockdown.

“We want to see all children aged 11 and above using face coverings on school transport unless they are exempt. This is the advice from the Department for Education, and it is now the law to wear them on public transport and in transport hubs, such as bus and railway stations.

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“Good hygiene is also important and pupils are asked to bring their own hand sanitiser, and use it on boarding and after getting off the bus. Pupils who pay their bus fare in cash are asked to have the right coins to minimise the need to handle change.

“We all need to do our bit to protect vulnerable members of our communities who could be badly affected by Covid.”

The current advice from the government is to only use public transport where necessary for work or education purposes and use other forms of transport if possible.

Lancashire County Council says around half of pupils live within two miles of their school and, where they can, families are being asked to arrange for pupils to walk or cycle.

County Councillor Keith Iddon, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We have been working hard with schools since July to ensure they can reopen safely, but it’s important to minimise the potential for transmission outside of school, including journeys to and from school.

“Our highways and transport teams are closely monitoring the situation on the roads for any increased congestion around schools in order to respond as quickly as possible to any local issues. But if you are able to walk or cycle to school then this will help relieve congestion on the roads, with the added benefits of improving local air quality and your family’s health too.”

The Switch to Cycling campaign is looking to build on an increase in people cycling during lockdown. For more information visit Lancashire County Council website.

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