I just don’t get this: “Face masks must/should/are recommended to/are suggested to/are advised to/be worn”. Such are the ambiguous signs that greet the traveller in London. In this ever-serious situation pandemic signs should NOT be unclear.

As someone who, although double-vaxed, wears their mask in enclosed public spaces I am constantly working out where I can sit in London’s tube, or peruse the National Gallery’s masterpieces, with reasonable safety. I recently had a maskless person sit next to me in the Tube (although other seats were available). My invitation to ask him to wear his was met with hostility and accusations that I was a nutter. (Perhaps I was for asking him!) Now if a similar situation happens in public transport I try to move elsewhere. As a particularly vulnerable case (my friends know for what reason) I just cannot take any chances. But who is to blame for this situation? And where are those TFL inspectors who are supposed to check up on passengers not wearing masks?

It’s all so much clearer in Italy where I was earlier this year. There I’ve met railway officials more interested in knowing whether I had my face mask on correctly than whether I possessed a valid travel ticket!

Why not have ‘masked’ and ‘non-masked’ areas instead, rather like those former ‘smoking’ and ‘no smoking’ railway carriages!!!

incidentally, on the BBC news this morning I hear that Doris is tightening up on mandatory face masks in readiness for the probable upsurge in covid cases.

Here is some feedback from readers of this post.

“And then people get in a huff if you give an English sigh or disapproval or walk to a different seat because of them. Yesterday there were two East European builders both maskless very close to me wearing my mask. A lady got on maskless and was happily, stupidly, rudely and likely illegally eating right opposite me. After 10 minutes one of the builders has a cough or two and this woman has a look of absolute horror before going to the furthers corner of the carriage. Serves her right if she has caught Covid from it, she gave no consideration to anyone else and if she had a mask on then would have minimal worries. Personally I’d go a bit Chinese and be allowed to submit photos footage of non-mask wearers and get a cut of the fine 🙂”

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“Agree with you and even the temperature/mask recognition on entering supermarkets and other premises will not open the doors unless you pass the correct reading.”

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“How selfish and uncaring of that person, millions of people have died of this terrible disease and it is disrespectful that they did not respond I am sure to your quiet request.”

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“My wife has refused to ride the tube since the current pandemic began. We ride in buses on the top deck opening all the windows near our seats. We have ridden in the cross-London Thameslink main line train service at off-peak times.”

Yet, in spite of the soaring Covid infections and the public transport notices about wearing face masks and social distancing this is what we encountered the other day on the Underground: