Guðmundur Heiðar Helgason, the bus company Strætó’s information representative, has reported that the vast majority of passengers are wearing masks now that the new rules have come in, according to RÚV. The new rules regarding to the obligation to wear masks on buses came into force yesterday morning.
According to Guðmundur, strictness has varied between bus drivers. Some drivers have refused unmasked passengers entry to the bus, for example, whilst others have been more lenient simply reminded passengers to remember their mask next time. The intention is to encourage all drivers to be stricter with the rules, and ensure that no one onboard in unmasked.
Many complaints were received due to the short notice before the rule’s implementation. Some complained that there were no reminders about masks appearing on the Strætó app, for example. According to Guðmundur, “its a technical implementation that [they] need to add.”
It is unlikely that Strætó will start to offer masks or sell them in carriages as this would lead to increased passenger-driver contact. Guðmundur also emphasised that infection control is the responsibility of each individual and not of the driver: drivers are not in a supervisory role to monitor what type of mask each passenger has or to prevent them from removing their masks when onboard.
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