Photos and videos are emerging of packed trains and buses as thousands of people returned to work on Wednesday after the government encouraged those who can’t work from home to go back if it is "safe to do so".
Britain’s return to the workplace has been peppered with caveats and advice from ministers, who urge people not to use public transport or travel during rush hour to avoid creating crowds that could spread Covid-19.
Images of packed buses and trains were shared on social media on Wednesday morning. However, some stations – including the busiest station in Britain, Waterloo – appeared much emptier than they would have been at rush hour pre-lockdown.
The news comes as Transport Secretary Grant Shapps urged people not to “flood back” onto public transport, suggesting he would not get on a crowded bus or train himself.
“We are asking people to be very sensible and not flood back to public transport. Even with all the trains and buses back to running when they are, there will not be enough space. One in 10 people will be able to travel without overcrowding,” he told Sky News.
“It is very important that we enable enough space on public transport for key workers, people who have no other option. It is very important that people don’t overcrowd that system that will be extremely restricted for the time being.”
Asked by BBC Breakfast whether he would personally go on a packed bus or tube, Shapps said: “No. People should try to avoid that. There are a lot of extra staff marshallers being organised at train stations and bus interchanges to try to advise people to avoid going on that route.”
On Monday, the prime minister said the new coronavirus guidance was aimed at encouraging people in England to take “baby steps” in returning to work, and he did not expect a “sudden big flood” of people going to work.
Boris Johnson said during the daily Downing Street briefing: “I think a lot of people will now start to think whether they fall into that category, whether they could think about going back to work.”
Employers who want to reopen their workplaces would need to prove they have met new “Covid secure” safety standards, subject to “random spot inspections” by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said Mr Johnson.
The government issued guidance for a number of workplace settings to identify what sectors can reopen, who can go back to work and how employers can keep their workers safe.
This includes construction, manufacturing, labs and research facilities, contact centres, restaurants offering takeaway or delivery, and people working in other people’s homes. Some of the advice recommends re-designing workplaces with social distancing in mind, staggering start times and building one-way systems.
Despite this, the government’s return-to-work message has been criticised, with one union warning that the new guidelines were “fraught with danger”.
In reference to reports that a passenger on the London Underground had collapsed on Wednesday morning, leading to the suspension of the Victoria Line, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) said: “This incident shows just how fraught with danger the government’s return to work call is for our transport services in the midst of this pandemic.
“One incident and we are reduced to crisis management with reports that social distancing is impossible with Tube carriages rammed.
“RMT warned this would happen and we were ignored.”
Amid nationwide reports of crowded transport services, the government has reiterated that anyone who is able to work from home should continue to do so.
The transport secretary warned that too many people trying to use the public transport system could mean the country will “go back to staying at home”.
Mr Shapps told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “If we see the R (virus reproduction) number go up again – particularly above one – we will have to take steps.
“We all know what that means – it means going back to staying at home. We have got a big team of marshallers going out through Network Rail, Transport for London, we have got the British Transport Police out there, and we are even bringing in volunteers to remind people that we don’t want to see platforms crowded.”
