London Mayor wants to criminalize failure to wear masks on the Tube
August 6, 2021, 1:21 am

London Mayor wants to criminalize failure to wear masks on the Tube

London, UNITED KINGDOM.

The RT reported that UK Mayor Sadiq Khan revealed London authorities are lobbying the UK government to make mask wearing on the Tube required by law again.

According to the Russian news website, Mr Khan argued that only mandatory masking will make people feel safe on public transportation again.

The RT said, Mayor Khan is pushing for compulsory mask wearing on the Underground, seeking to make it into a by-law, enabling the British Transport Police to enforce it and impose fixed penalties on those daring to board the trains maskless.

He told the BBC, “we are trying to lobby the Government to allow us to bring in a bye-law, so it will be the law again, so we can issue fixed penalty notices and we can use the police service and BTP to enforce this.”

Making mask-wearing compulsory again would make people feel safer and encourage them to use the Tube, the mayor said.

“We need people to be coming back to the West End. We want to encourage people to return to their offices,” he stated.

Mandatory mask-wearing for England was dropped on July 19, though Khan has consistently opposed the move. Ahead of ‘Freedom Day’, which ended compulsory mask-wearing, he asked Transport for London (TfL) to enforce it as a “condition of carriage,” making TfL workers able to ask non-compliant passengers to leave the bus or train.

If pushed through, the changes proposed by Khan would effectively revert the situation on London public transportation to pre-July 19 conditions.

Despite the easing of restrictions, around two-thirds of adults in the UK still plan to continue wearing masks, according to official statistics.

The number of people wearing masks on public transportation also remains high, with around 85% of Tube, bus, and train passengers continuing to do so.

Source: RT
Image source: AFP-RT

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”