With the spike in daily COVID-19 cases in West Bengal, the association of bus owners on Saturday said it will launch a campaign among bus workers and passengers for using masks during travel.
The secretary of Joint Council of Bus Syndicate, Tapan Banerjee, said in a statement that the association would distribute masks among bus employees near the Esplanade bus depot on June 26 and urge them not to take their masks off.
"Bus workers, especially conductors, come in close proximity to passengers, increasing the scope of contamination. With a sudden spike in daily COVID-19 cases for the past fortnight, we have to be alert so that the situation does not spin out of control. On the part of the bus syndicate, we have to live up to the situation," he added.
The syndicate had framed guidelines during the coronavirus outbreak on March 10, 2020, which included wearing masks and cleansing hands with sanitisers. Apart from that, the bus operators had followed certain state-imposed restrictions in passenger load and occupancy for several months during the unlock phase.
"As of now we’ll be implementing the same protocol. We will also urge passengers to wear masks while boarding. Messages to the effect should be put up in vehicles," Banerjee said.