COVID-19: AT Welcomes Mandatory Face Coverings On Public Transport

Auckland Transport (AT) is welcoming the Government’s decision to make face coverings mandatory on public transport starting Monday 31 August for regions in Alert Level 2 or higher.

The decision comes after Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) has identified further bus journeys taken separately by two people with COVID-19. Those bus details can be seen further below.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff urges people to follow the new rules.

"We all have a responsibility to follow Government health directives — for the good of ourselves, our families and older folk and our wider communities,” he says.

"Wearing a face covering is an effective measure to help stop the spread of Covid-19. Everything we can do in the fight against this disease makes a difference, and I believe the mandatory wearing of masks on public transport is sensible given our recent experience. It is also strongly advised to wear a face covering in other situations where physical distancing is difficult, such as when going shopping."

From now until Monday, when today’s decision by the Government takes effect, face coverings are still highly recommended on public transport and when out in public to help stop the spread of the virus, as per Government advice.

AT chief executive Shane Ellison says these recent developments not only show the importance of customers registering their AT HOP card, but also keeping those contact details up to date.

“Currently around 83 per cent of AT HOP cards are registered and we want to see that number increase. Registered cards are being used to contact most close contacts who were on these bus journeys, but five close contacts had out of date information and still haven’t been reached,” he says.

It’s also important for Aucklanders to know that public transport is still okay to use for permitted travel, Mr Ellison adds.

“We have already stepped up the level of cleaning on all services with regular steam cleans now in place and now the Government’s decision to make face masks mandatory will only make public transport safer,” he says.

“Our customer research from the first weekend back in Alert Level 3 shows 88 per cent of people would support compulsory face masks on public transport.”

Other measures AT has in place to help with public safety include not taking cash on buses or at customer service centres, entry and exit from rear doors on buses, and keeping 2-metre physical distance between passengers. These are all measures to help keep physical separation between passengers, staff and drivers.

AT asks customers to make sure that their registration details are up to date. Customers can update their personal contact details on the AT website (at.govt.nz), by calling our call centre (09 355 3553) or by visiting a customer service centre.

Two people with COVID-19 shared a journey on the 22N bus on Wednesday 12 August, but also took several other bus journeys while infectious. One case took the 670 bus on August 10 along a route through Mt Roskill to Otahuhu and then later between Otahuhu and Avondale, while the other case took buses on August 14, 15 and 17, travelling the same bus 22 route between Symonds St and St Lukes.

ARPHS’ advice is that anyone on these buses at these times, for longer than 15 minutes, should self-isolate, call Healthline (0800 358 5453) for advice and get tested as soon as possible.

Bus journey details

More details on these bus journeys can be found at ARPHS’s website: https://www.arphs.health.nz/news/further-auckland-bus-journeys-under-investigation/

As a general rule, people should continue to adhere to Auckland’s COVID-19 Alert Level 3 restrictions, and to be vigilant for the signs of COVID-19, which can include one or more of the following:

• New or worsening cough

• Fever

• Runny nose

• Difficulty breathing

• Sore throat

Anyone who has shown these symptoms, or who develops them, should free phone Healthline for advice (0800 358 5453) and arrange to get tested.

If you think you may have travelled on the affected bus service, you can use your registered AT HOP card to check your transaction history. This can be done on the AT Mobile app or by logging on to the AT HOP page at: at.govt.nz

The best place to find the latest information about the COVID-19 situation in New Zealand is on the Government’s special COVID-19 website: https://covid19.govt.nz/

Auckland Transport’s COVID-19 page is at: https://at.govt.nz/COVID-19

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