Public Transportation
Under ex-President Trump, the proposal by the US Food and Drug Administration was rejected - but has now been implemented on the instructions of his successor Biden: From next week onwards, masks will be compulsory in public transport in the USA. Last week, the new US President Joe Biden had instructed federal authorities to take measures to make masks mandatory on public transport. If a passenger refuses, however, he or she is now in violation of federal law under the CDC's regulation, so that flight attendants or conductors, for example, can better enforce the obligation.
Seven metro stations have been closed amidst pro Navalny protests in Moscow that demand the release of the opposition leader from prison. The announcement of the public transportation services stated that this has been done at the request of the police. In addition, several streets near the Kremlin have been closed.
Virgin Hyperloop has trialled the first ride on its test track Sunday in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the trial, two company staff members travelled the 500m test track in 15 seconds, reaching 172km/h. Virgin's system involves pods inside vacuum tubes carrying passengers at high speeds.
The company, founded in 2014, and previously known as was previously known as Hyperloop One and Virgin Hyperloop One, received investment from the Virgin Group in 2017.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has approved a new regulation for taxi operators, which states that they can refuse passengers who are not wearing masks. Drivers are required to ask customers why they do not wear masks when they board and check to see if there are any unavoidable circumstances, such as illness. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism explains the reason for the approval, saying, "This is not only for the driver but also to prevent the next passenger from becoming infected".
The head of corporate security at the Munich Transport Company (MVG) commented in an interview with "Die Zeit" about mouth and nose covering and passenger acceptance. Around 90% of these would adhere to the regulations and the MVG would have achieved the desired effect. The effort to achieve 100% acceptance would be too high, especially with possible limited success.
He sees the imposition of fines and fines critically and as a state task.
A video that was posted online on Twitter during the weekend shows a ticket inspector from Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB), who had a man lying on the ground in a stranglehold for more than a minute.
Passersby tried to stop the ticket inspector from doing so, but he only let go shortly before the police arrived. After viewing the video material from the corresponding tram, the LVB initially suspended the employee from duty and condemned the behavior of the employee. Police are investigating.
The Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland Micheál Martin has announced that from Monday on wearing face coverings on public transport will be compulsory and non-compliance will can be penalized with fines up to €2,500 and/or six months in prison.
Exempt from the rules will be children under the age of 13, as well as people that have trouble breathing or that can not remove the face covering without help.
He also stated that people outside of public transport are encouraged to wear face coverings during social gatherings where social distancing does not work.