FACE masks won’t be mandatory on public transport in the capital from tomorrow.
Transport for London today confirmed the rule drop after Boris Johnson unveiled his “living with Covid” plan on Monday.
It means commuters on the capital’s trains, buses and Tube network will no longer be required to cover up from February 24.
However, customers and staff will be “strongly recommended” to continue to do so if they are able.
A TfL spokesperson said: “Wearing face coverings will no longer be a condition of carriage from 24 February but customers and staff will be strongly recommended to wear them if they are able to.”
The transport body added that it had “considered a variety of factors including the shift in the Government’s approach towards living with the virus and decreasing infection rates in London”.
Government rules which made face masks compulsory in many public settings were dropped in England last month.
But the requirement stuck around for city dwellers on orders from London Major Sadiq Khan.
Commuters who failed to comply risked being denied travel, though fines and prosecutions were dropped.
But now, from tomorrow, Londoners can travel freely masked or not.
It forms part of the shift back to “normal” life under the PM’s “living with Covid” plan.
On Monday, Mr Johnson scrapped all coronavirus rules after two years of lockdowns, isolation and testing.
From midnight tonight, the legal requirement to self-isolate will be gone meaning people can go about their daily lives even if they have the bug.
The £500 self-isolation payments will also end on Thursday, while the £96 sick pay handout for Covid-stricken Brits will be dropped on March 24.
And on April 1 the free testing regime will be wound down, except for the most vulnerable.
