Commuters may have to take their temperatures before boarding public transport when the coronavirus lockdown is eased, according to reports.
The Department for Transport and Public Health England are considering the measure to prevent the highly infectious virus from spreading on crowded trains when the UK begins to return to work, the Times reports.
Rail operators are also considering requiring passengers to book ahead for busy services, the paper adds, adding that to reduce overcrowding, commuters would reserve a 15-minute slot online before boarding.
First-class carriages may also be scrapped with passengers no longer allowed to get off at some stations, the report goes on to claim.
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A rail industry source told the Times: "There is emerging thinking that you may have to book a slot for, say, 8.30 to 8.45am and then turn up at that time and you’ll be able to get on a train.
"It’s designed to regulate the number of people coming into the station or queueing outside at any one time while ensuring trains themselves aren’t full."
Under the proposals anyone with a high temperature - a telltale symptom of Covid-19 - would be required to stay at home.
Other measures which have been adopted by other countries include providing hand sanitiser, asking passengers to wear face masks and signs asking people not to use busy services.
Boris Johnson is due to reveal his "roadmap" on Thursday on how the UK will gradually begin to exit the lockdown which has been forced by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Prime Minister has said he wants to "get our economy moving" but there are concerns that commuters returning to work could result in the virus spreading on public transport.
This will be a "menu of options" with the dates and times driven by the current state of the outbreak in the UK, he added.
It is hoped that parts of the economy can restart while the rate of infection - known as R - remains under 1.
The Rail Delivery Group is coordinating the rail industry's response to the pandemic.
It said services will continue to run on a reduced timetable and passengers will be given clear advice about how to stay two metres apart.
The government has not yet taken a decision on how social distancing will be maintained on public transport.
It comes as the UK's total coronavirus death toll reached 27,510 today, including deaths in care homes and in the wider community.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock also announced the Government had met its target to carry out 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April after 122,347 tests were performed in the 24 hours up to 9am on Friday.
Yesterday ministers warned that the UK should not risk following in the path of Germany - where cases have risen sharply since social distancing measures were eased.
Currently around 6,000 new cases are being reported in the UK each day.
