Doctors and nurses’ plea to Londoners: ‘Wear masks on Tube and buses to save lives’

Commuters with and without face coverings on a tube train at Stratford

(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

Intensive care doctors and nurses are pleading with Londoners to wear face masks on public transport to reduce the spread of Covid this winter.

Frontline staff at St George’s hospital, in Tooting, said they wore PPE (personal protective equipment) all day to save lives – and it was not too much to expect passengers to play their part by wearing a mask to keep others safe.

A social media campaign, backed by Mayor Sadiq Khan, launched on Tuesday, with the message: “I save lives, you can too.” It will be followed by posters on the Tube next month.

Teareen Mamdeen, an ICU nurse at St George’s hospital, is urging Londoners to wear face masks on the Tube (St George’s NHS trust)

Teareen Mamdeen, an ICU nurse, said: “I work with extremely sick and vulnerable patients every day where I wear PPE for 12+ hours, as well as a mask on my commute.

“If everyone did the same when on public transport, it would drastically improve the current rising coronavirus situation in London, support the NHS as well as protect one another. It benefits everyone.”

Dr Tom Slater: “Seeing other commuters wearing face coverings on the Tube makes me feel valued in my frontline role .” (St George’s hospital)

Dr Tom Slater, a neuro intensive care doctor, said: “Seeing other commuters wearing face coverings on the Tube makes me feel valued in my frontline role and that they are supporting us. If everyone encouraged their families and friends to wear face coverings, it would help reduce the risk of another winter wave of Covid-19.”

St George’s is currently treating 35 Covid patients, including nine in intensive care.

At the peak of the pandemic’s second wave in January, it had 100 in intensive care and 300 on wards. More than 800 patients have died with Covid.

Mask wearing is associated with a 53 per cent reduction in the spread of Covid.

Mr Khan said the pandemic was “finely balanced” in the capital due to the arrival of the Omicron variant.

“Wearing a face covering is one of the most important, easiest and unselfish things we can all do to prevent the spread of Covid-19 this winter,” he said.

Jacqueline Totterdell, group chief executive of St George’s and Epsom and St Helier, said: “As someone with a respiratory condition and an NHS chief executive, I know the difference wearing masks makes first-hand, so it was important to me to personally champion this campaign alongside the Mayor.

“Every day, tens of thousands of NHS doctors, nurses, cleaners, porters and other healthcare professionals wear masks and other PPE – often for more than 12 hours a day - when treating extremely unwell patients. Everyone at George’s wants TFL passengers to also help save lives by wearing a face covering on their commute. It’s the most simple but effective way to help keep everyone safe this winter.”

She added: “Our teams have worked incredibly hard over the last 18 months, please support them by getting vaccinated against Covid-19 and flu, and wearing a face covering in crowded places.”

The legal requirement to wear a face mask on Tubes, trains and buses was introduced nationally by the Government last week in response to the threat from Omicron, having been dropped as part of the “freedom day” relaxation of Covid restrictions in July.

Mr Khan, who had wanted face masks to remain compulsory, said: “By wearing face coverings we give Londoners and visitors the reassurance and confidence to make the most of what our city has to offer, while also protecting our heroic keyworkers as well as the vulnerable passengers who rely on the network to get around our city.

“With confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in London rising and our scientists still learning about its effects, the situation with Covid-19 in the capital is finely balanced. It’s vital we all do our bit now to protect ourselves, our loved ones, the things we enjoy and our NHS this winter.”