Legislation – The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings on Public Transport) (England) Regulations 2020
PART 2Public transport: requirement to wear face covering
Requirement to wear a face covering when on public transport3.
(1)
No person may, without reasonable excuse, use a public transport service without wearing a face covering.
(2)
For the purposes of paragraph (1), a person is using a public transport service at any time when—
(a)
they are boarding any vehicle by means of which a public transport service is provided, or
(b)
they are (whether or not for the purposes of travel) on board any vehicle by means of which a public transport service is provided.
(3)
But the requirement in paragraph (1) does not apply—
(a)
to a child who is under the age of 11;
(b)
to an employee of the operator of the relevant public transport service acting in the course of their employment;
(c)
to any other person providing services under arrangements made with the operator of the relevant public transport service who is providing those services;
(d)
to a constable or police community support officer acting in the course of their duty;
(e)
to an emergency responder (other than a constable) acting in their capacity as an emergency responder;
(f)
to a relevant official acting in the course of their employment or their duties;
(g)
where a person is allocated a cabin, berth or other similar accommodation, at any time when they are in that accommodation—
(i)
alone, or
(ii)
only with members of their own household or a linked household;
(h)
where—
(i)
a person is permitted, or ordinarily required, to board and to remain in a vehicle when using the public transport service, and
(ii)
the vehicle is not itself used for the provision of a public transport service,
the person remains in that vehicle.
(4)
In this regulation—
“relevant official” means—
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Reasonable excuse4.
For the purposes of regulation 3(1), the circumstances in which a person (“P”) has a reasonable excuse include those where—
(a)
P cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering—
(i)
(ii)
without severe distress;
(b)
P is travelling with, or providing assistance to, another person (“B”) and B relies on lip reading to communicate with P;
(c)
P removes their face covering to avoid harm or injury, or the risk of harm or injury, to themselves or others;
(d)
P is travelling to avoid injury, or to escape a risk of harm, and does not have a face covering with them;
(e)
if it is reasonably necessary for P to eat or drink, P removes their face covering to eat or drink;
(f)
P has to remove their face covering to take medication;
(g)
a relevant person requests that P remove their face covering.