With the coronavirus outbreak showing no signs of abating, Southeastern trains have announced measures designed to combat the virus. Train from the South East in to London are known assome of the most crowded in the country.
Commuters are obviously fearful of being on close proximity to others, so Southeastern have released a statement to counter passengers fears.
we are glad southeastern are taking this so seriously
Transport for London has taken steps to enhance its cleaning methods to make public transport around the capital even safer. TfL says it has “already changed its Tube and bus network cleaning regime to include enhanced anti-viral measures to reduce risk of coronavirus spreading”. This will not help germs being spread from person to person, but they are attempting to keep the rolling stock as clean as possible.
Meanwhile Southeastern, the rail company providing services in Kent, has not said it is putting in place any specific cleaning regime of its own. That is going to reassure a lot of people.
A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators and Network Rail, said: “The rail industry is monitoring the latest Public Health England guidelines closely and working together to prepare for a range of different scenarios. At the same time, we are ensuring that rail staff are kept aware of the latest advice to maintain good hand hygiene and keep surfaces clean, particularly in customer facing locations.”
“Public Health England has stated that there are currently no specific concerns about using public transport”. Did that come via the Health Minister who has just announced that she is infected? If you are squashed into a carriage next to plenty of other people on your way home tonight – good luck!