The facial coverings will be handed out at five Tube stations to start with.
It’s been just twenty-four hours since we learned that face coverings would become compulsory on public transport in England from June 15, but TfL have acted swiftly. From Monday, volunteers from TfL and the Greater London Authority will begin handing out free face coverings to commuters, in a bid to keep the coronavirus infection rate as long as possible.
TfL estimates that anywhere between 30-50% of commuters are currently wearing face coverings when travelling, and the new scheme is designed to boost those numbers. They’re aiming to hand out over one million non-surgical face masks to Londoners, with the masks being distributed at those Tube and bus stations with the highest footfall during the lockdown.
A pilot scheme will see the face coverings being distributed at five Tube stations: Baker Street, Brixton, Paddington, Seven Sisters, and Stratford, with more presumably following if the scheme proves successful. TfL has also been running a huge communications campaign across radio, posters, and station announcements to encourage the uptake of masks. The Mayor of London’s office has also been running a page about face coverings, explaining why they’re important and teaching you to make your own. But if you’ve missed all that, Monday is a good opportunity to pick one up when you’re out and about.