Category: Transport and Covid-19

Public transport experts are calling for the wearing of cloth masks to be mandated on trains, buses and trams as COVID-19 restrictions ease and Australians return to work, but medical experts remain divided on whether they are necessary.

The transport union’s call is in line with a growing push from medical professionals around the world for mandatory face masks, including in Australia where the “Masks for All” campaign protests against the official advice they are not needed.

Associate Professor David Allen, an occupational physician involved in the campaign, said multiple studies around the world showed cloth masks reduced the risk of spreading SARS-CoV-2 through droplets, including by people without symptoms.

“A large proportion of the spread is from people who don’t know they have the virus … It’s a low-cost, simple intervention and, in those countries that do have it, the risk of transmission is measurably lower.”

Australia’s chief nurse, Alison McMillan, said on Friday the advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee’s (AHPPC) infection control group remained that “there is no evidence for the need of general use of masks in the community”.

McCauley, Jacks (2020-05-22)

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‘Almost 300,000 city workers would need to find a new way to get to work under new physical distancing measures for public transport announced on Monday, which only allow for 12 people on buses and 32 on train carriages.’

Rabe (2020-05-20)

My Quotes

And while Qantas confirmed on Tuesday that it would offer optional face masks to its passengers, Transport for NSW said current health advice still didn’t indicate masks were needed on public transport.

University of Technology Sydney transport expert Mathew Hounsell said one way the government increase density on the network, which is currently at around 20 per cent capacity, was through face masks.

“They are going [for] very strong on the distancing on public transport, there should be some discussion over time whether we can use some infection control measures on public transport to increase capacity,” he said.

Rabe (2020-05-20)

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Sydney’s bus drivers are being told to accept all passengers, even if they’re at capacity, in spite of the Berejiklian government’s new social distancing measures on public transport.

Rabe, Smith (2020-05-19)

My Quotes

University of Technology transport expert Mathew Hounsell said the government was likely designing its new “cautious” transport strategy to be deliberately prohibitive to force anyone that didn’t have to travel to stay at home.

“I think that might be part of their strategy, and it’s reasonable, sometimes restricting supply for an [oversubscribed] good is a way of getting [people] to do things differently,” Mr Hounsell said.

“You’ll either need five times the buses, or you can only move a fifth of the people. It’s simple math.”

Rabe, Smith (2020-05-19)

I would say the strategy would encourage, induce, or motivate people to change their travel patterns. For example, restricted transport supply would encouraging people to shop locally.

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‘Transport experts warn there could be a tough road ahead as Australians take to private transport in their return to work;

It’s led authorities to urge for staggered commutes, and plans to bolster car parking capacity in major CBDs.’

Coote (2020-05-18)

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