Merseyrail passengers appeared keen to continue wearing masks on trains this morning despite no longer being required to do so by law.
The legal requirement to wear masks on public transport ended at midnight but passengers who were wearing face coverings were in a significant majority on trains in and out of Liverpool early this morning.
England is now in the first 24 hours of so-called Freedom Day, with all coronavirus restrictions now lifted.
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It means the requirements for social distancing and face covering measures have been dropped even as infection levels continue to rise across much of the country.
The mayors of the UK’s major cities had appealed to keep the mask requirement and in Liverpool they remain compulsory on the ferries.
In addition, Merseyrail managing director Andy Heath appealed to passengers to wear them in crowded spaces.
Mr Heath said: “From Monday 19th July the majority of lockdown restrictions will come to an end and face coverings will no longer be a legal requirement on public transport.
“However, we do expect passengers to follow government guidance and wear a face covering in crowded spaces out of respect for others unless exempt.
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“As we have throughout the pandemic, we will continue to do as much as we can to keep our staff and passengers safe by extensively cleaning trains and stations throughout the day using specialist cleaning products.”
Early anecdotal evidence from journeys taken this morning would suggests riders are so far adhering to similar measures as before.
Of the 22 passengers sitting in a carriage on a service bound for Liverpool from Southport, 19 were wearing masks.
A return journey from Liverpool saw a significant majority of passengers wearing masks also, with people in stations and on indoor platforms also appearing to stick with face coverings on the whole.
It remains to be seen whether the wearing of face coverings will remain now that the legal consequences of not wearing one has disappeared.
Many health experts continue to encourage people to wear them in enclosed and more crowded spaces in order to limit the spread of infection.
