With the spike in daily COVID-19 cases in West Bengal, the association of bus owners Saturday said it will launch a campaign among bus workers and passengers for using masks while traveling in passenger vehicles.
The secretary of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicate, Tapan Banerjee said in a statement that the association will distribute masks among bus employees near the Esplanade bus depot on June 26 and ask them not to take off the mask.
"Bus workers, more specifically 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 said.
The syndicate had framed guidelines during the coronavirus outbreak on March 10, 2020 days, which included wearing masks and cleansing hands with sanitizers.
This apart, 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 will be implementing the March 10, 2020 protocols. We will also urge passengers to wear masks while boarding. Messages to the effect should be put up in vehicles," he said.
Banerjee said 42,000 private buses used to ply in the city and its neighborhood two years ago but only 30 percent of them are currently on the road due to mounting financial losses caused by a hike in fuel prices and the pandemic.
Arunima Mitra, an employee in an IT firm in Sector V who commutes by public buses, told PTI that she does not see more than four-five passengers among 50 wearing masks. "Even the conductor and driver do not do so which increases the possibility of contamination. We have to be more responsible."
A transport department official welcomed the move of the bus association and said the department will take appropriate decision to make masks mandatory and take other steps based on the advice and guidelines of experts and the state secretariat.
Bengal on Friday reported 657 fresh cases of coronavirus taking the tally to 20,24,244. Of the new cases, 299 were recorded in Kolkata, 180 in North 24 Parganas, and 45 in South 24 Parganas districts. The state logged 745 cases on Thursday and 295 on Wednesday.
