As COVID-19 cases rise in Merseyside, train operator Merseyrail is reinforcing the message on face masks by covering up the Fab Four, Cilla and other landmarks. Tony McDonough reports
Train operator Merseyrail has put branded face masks on well known landmarks including The Beatles and Cilla Black statues to reinforce its ‘cover up’ message.
In recent days there has been a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Liverpool, particularly among young adults, and public health chiefs are concerned too many people across Merseyside are not taking enough precautions.
Liverpool’s director of public health Matt Ashton has been urging people across the city region to continue to practice hygiene and social distancing, as well as wearing masks in shops, if we want to avoid new lockdowns.
As face coverings are now mandatory on public transport, Merseyrail has gone one step further to reinforce the message to customers by covering up five of its trains. A large yellow face covering has been added to the outside of five of the rail operator’s trains alongside the message “Have you got it covered?” and is now visible travelling around the network.
It has been mandatory for passengers to wear face coverings on public transport since June 15 unless exempt, and this latest campaign is part of Merseyrail’s commitment to ensuring passengers adhere to the rules on their trains and at stations to protect themselves and others while travelling.
Additionally, various statues across the Liverpool city region including The Beatles, Cilla Black and even a Lambanana have been sporting Merseyrail branded face coverings to help raise awareness.
These customised masks are available to purchase in Merseyrail’s Mtogo stores at Liverpool Central, Southport and Liverpool South Parkway. The campaign also comes as schools prepare to fully reopen and many employees begin to return to their places of work.
Educating passengers on the use of face coverings is just one of the steps Merseyrail has taken to ensure that passengers can enjoy a safe, reliable and efficient service when travelling. Other steps include:
- Social distance signage at stations on floors, escalators and lifts.
- Queuing systems at busier stations.
- Increased cleaning regimes using specialist microbial cleaners that kill pathogens on surfaces.
Suzanne Grant, commercial director at Merseyrail, said: “The safety of our passengers and our staff has been our top priority during this pandemic and the wearing of face coverings is a major part of this.
“We have been reminding our passengers about the new rules for a number of months now and we wanted to reinforce this message in a more visible and unique way. All of our staff are working hard to keep people moving across the Liverpool city region as safely as possible.
“I would ask that our passengers support us in this by wearing a face covering, socially distancing where they can, using contactless payments and travelling outside busier times where possible.”