• Login
  • Register
The Daily Sceptic
No Result
View All Result
  • Articles
  • About
  • Archive
    • ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ROUND-UPS
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Premium
  • Donate
  • Log In
The Daily Sceptic
No Result
View All Result

Sadiq Khan’s Mask Mandate on London Transport is Not Based on Science

by Toby Young
6 November 2021 10:50 AM

We’re publishing a guest post today by Rob Tyson, one of the organisers of Smile Free, a group that campaigns against mask mandates in the U.K. Rob points out that Sadiq Khan’s mask mandate on Transport for London doesn’t appear to be based on a single scientific study.

Britain’s well-established, pre-Covid pandemic plan, endorsed by Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty as late as March 19th 2020 before being abandoned four days later, contains an interesting sentence relating to the wearing of face masks in the community (an intervention the plan did not recommend):

Although there is a perception that the wearing of facemasks by the public in the community and household setting may be beneficial, there is in fact very little evidence of widespread benefit from their use in this setting. Facemasks must be worn correctly, changed frequently, removed properly, disposed of safely and used in combination with good respiratory, hand, and home hygiene behaviour in order for them to achieve the intended benefit. Research also shows that compliance with these recommended behaviours when wearing facemasks for prolonged periods reduces over time.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that no nation on earth can demonstrate ‘widespread benefit’ of forced masking on infection control after a year of mandates, no-one in authority wants to disabuse the public of this perception.

Rather, they want to continue and even intensify this irrational behaviour.

Indeed it is striking how Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) – which runs the London tube, trains and bus network – justify their forced masking requirement.

“Following the science” this ain’t.

Numerous supporters of Smile Free, our campaign group advocating for the repeal of all U.K. mask mandates, have shared with us the responses they’ve had from TfL in response to their complaints about compulsory masking.

It’s a stock response references five pieces of opinion polling – but not one scientific study.

“YouGov produced the results that over two thirds of people support the retention of face coverings on public transport at this point in the pandemic,” TfL explains.

The majority believe that face coverings play an important role in giving people confidence to use public transport. 86% of customers say they are always wearing face coverings on our public transport services… More than most of the people want to wear them and feel safer doing so. Of the 14% not wearing a face covering at all times or not at all, almost three-quarters (75%) have an exemption or good reason under the regulations for not doing so. [“More than most”? What does that mean?]

TfL appears to think that quoting all this opinion polling makes a cast-iron case for forced masking. But to the critical reader it simply highlights the lack of evidence.

Could it be that TfL doesn’t quote cite a single study supporting forced masking because – like the Department for Transport – it hasn’t actually commissioned one?

As thin a justification as it is, later on in its stock response TfL even undermines its own case for masking.

“That said, the requirement to wear a mask is not to say that public transport is no less safe (sic) than any other similar setting,” it says. [It means “less safe” obviously – the double negative reverses the meaning of the sentence.]

“Independent testing by Imperial College has been carried out regularly since September, taking swabs of touch points and air samples in trains, stations and buses, and has found no traces of coronavirus on the public transport system.”

In which case, why continue to force masks on commuters? Particularly as TfL’s own advertising all over the network now also claims: “Air on our tubes and trains is refreshed every three minutes”?

Khan and TfL’s forced masking is everything wrong with the authorities’ Covid response in microcosm.

You can learn more about Smile Free, the campaign advocating for the repeal of U.K. mask mandates, here.

Tags: Mask MandatesSadiq KhanTfL

Donate

We depend on your donations to keep this site going. Please give what you can.

Donate Today

Comment on this Article

You’ll need to set up an account to comment if you don’t already have one. We ask for a minimum donation of £5 if you'd like to make a comment or post in our Forums.

Sign Up
Previous Post

Vaccine Efficiency in Preventing Transmission Dramatically Declines Over a Six Month Period, Research Shows

Next Post

New York City to Offer Children $100 for Getting Vaccinated

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
Please log in to comment

To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.

Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.

68 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

NEWSLETTER

View today’s newsletter

To receive our latest news in the form of a daily email, enter your details here:

DONATE

PODCAST

The Sceptic | Episode 40: Rob Bates on Stopping Britain Becoming Majority-Minority, Tilak Doshi on Trump vs Green Blob and Mario Trabucco on Osborne’s Elgin Marbles Betrayal

by Richard Eldred
13 June 2025
1

LISTED ARTICLES

  • Most Read
  • Most Commented
  • Editor’s Picks

Big Brother Lives Next Door

16 June 2025
by Matthew Corrigan

Why Is Doctor Who So Gay? Because so Are His Current Creators

16 June 2025
by Steven Tucker

How Covid Killed the Rule of Law

16 June 2025
by Nick McBride

Establishment in Denial Over Ethnicity of Grooming Gangs, Report Finds

16 June 2025
by Will Jones

News Round-Up

17 June 2025
by Richard Eldred

Establishment in Denial Over Ethnicity of Grooming Gangs, Report Finds

41

The Link Between Asylum Seekers and New Rape Gang Cases Will Fuel Public Anger

20

How Nuclear Power Might Save The Day

16

Big Brother Lives Next Door

14

How Covid Killed the Rule of Law

18

Allowing Sectarian Groups of Civil Servants to Shape Government Policy is an Affront to Democracy

17 June 2025
by David Shipley

The Link Between Asylum Seekers and New Rape Gang Cases Will Fuel Public Anger

17 June 2025
by Laurie Wastell

Big Brother Lives Next Door

16 June 2025
by Matthew Corrigan

Please Give Generously to Keep the Daily Sceptic Afloat

16 June 2025
by Toby Young

How Covid Killed the Rule of Law

16 June 2025
by Nick McBride

POSTS BY DATE

November 2021
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930  
« Oct   Dec »

SOCIAL LINKS

Free Speech Union

NEWSLETTER

View today’s newsletter

To receive our latest news in the form of a daily email, enter your details here:

POSTS BY DATE

November 2021
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930  
« Oct   Dec »

DONATE

LISTED ARTICLES

  • Most Read
  • Most Commented
  • Editor’s Picks

Big Brother Lives Next Door

16 June 2025
by Matthew Corrigan

Why Is Doctor Who So Gay? Because so Are His Current Creators

16 June 2025
by Steven Tucker

How Covid Killed the Rule of Law

16 June 2025
by Nick McBride

Establishment in Denial Over Ethnicity of Grooming Gangs, Report Finds

16 June 2025
by Will Jones

News Round-Up

17 June 2025
by Richard Eldred

Establishment in Denial Over Ethnicity of Grooming Gangs, Report Finds

41

The Link Between Asylum Seekers and New Rape Gang Cases Will Fuel Public Anger

20

How Nuclear Power Might Save The Day

16

Big Brother Lives Next Door

14

How Covid Killed the Rule of Law

18

Allowing Sectarian Groups of Civil Servants to Shape Government Policy is an Affront to Democracy

17 June 2025
by David Shipley

The Link Between Asylum Seekers and New Rape Gang Cases Will Fuel Public Anger

17 June 2025
by Laurie Wastell

Big Brother Lives Next Door

16 June 2025
by Matthew Corrigan

Please Give Generously to Keep the Daily Sceptic Afloat

16 June 2025
by Toby Young

How Covid Killed the Rule of Law

16 June 2025
by Nick McBride

SOCIAL LINKS

Free Speech Union
  • Home
  • About us
  • Donate
  • Privacy Policy

Facebook

  • X

Instagram

RSS

Subscribe to our newsletter

© Skeptics Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Articles
  • About
  • Archive
    • ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ROUND-UPS
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Premium
  • Donate
  • Log In

© Skeptics Ltd.

wpDiscuz
You are going to send email to

Move Comment