Coronavirus: Health and Metro chiefs urge people to wear masks

Wearing a mask is a condition of carriage for the Tyne and Wear Metro but fewer than 40% of passengers are doing so

Health and travel chiefs are urging people to wear masks indoors and on public transport to combat a rise in coronavirus cases.

Chris Tulloch from the University Hospital of North Tees said Covid "remained a very real danger".

Operators of the Tyne and Wear Metro said fewer than 40% of passengers were wearing masks despite them being a "condition of carriage".

Masks are currently voluntary but calls are growing to make them mandatory.

There were 13,360 Covid-19 cases in the North East in the seven days to 21 October, an 11% jump on the 12,053 seen the week before.

The North Tees Hospital in Stockton currently has 46 Covid-19 patients, six of whom are in intensive care, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Tulloch said: "We are seeing more Covid-positive patients and sadly some of them will not survive.

"There are too many local families dealing with this heartbreak.

"We're asking everyone to protect each other."

There are currently 46 patients being treated for coronavirus at North Tees Hospital

He urged people to get vaccinated and wear a mask in indoor public settings, as well as avoiding "unnecessary contact" with people.

Meanwhile Nexus has issued a similar plea for the Metro and buses.

Customer services director Huw Lewis said: "We see more customers wearing a face covering in the morning peak and then again in the afternoon, when trains and buses are busiest, so I think people are carrying face masks and looking around at the space they are in when deciding whether to put them on."

Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon, who chairs the North East Joint Transport Committee, said: "I would encourage all passengers on public transport to continue wearing face coverings to help keep themselves and others safe.

"We should all do our bit to help others as we recover from the ongoing impact of the pandemic."

'Vaccine saves lives'

According to latest figures published by Newcastle City Council, the average infection rate across the North East has now risen to 501 Covid cases per 100,000 people - slightly higher than the England average of 473.

A spokesman for South Tees NHS Hospitals Trust, which is currently treating 66 Covid patients, said: "It's important to note that community infections are now higher than late January 2020 when the number of patients needing hospital Covid-care was over 200. 

"The smaller number of patients requiring hospital care at this time is testament to the success of the Covid vaccine.

"The vaccine saves lives. And it helps to prevent people from becoming seriously ill."

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