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Free Covid-19 secure packs available for Sheffield taxi drivers

Taxi sign lit up

Sheffield City Council is encouraging taxi drivers to take advantage of 400 additional Covid-19 secure packs available to help them continue to operate safely as lockdown restrictions begin to lift over the coming months.

In collaboration with the Pakistan Muslim Centre (PMC), the Council is offering taxi drivers access to free face coverings and hand sanitiser which will be available to collect from the PMC centre on Woodburn Road on Wednesday 24th March between 11am and 2.30pm.

Greg Fell, Director of Public Health for Sheffield, said:

Taxi drivers have continued to work throughout the pandemic helping people make their essential journeys, such as attending vaccination appointments or getting key workers to work and have put really important measures in place to make protect themselves and their customers.

“We recognise their commitment to ensuring that they and their customers are protected whilst travelling and we want to help make this as easy as possible by offering reusable masks and hand sanitiser so it is readily available.

“Covid-19 spreads particularly well in small spaces, like taxis, so it’s even more important that people driving and using taxis continue to do the basics ‘hands, face, space, as well as opening windows for ventilation and cleaning vehicles regularly to minimise the spread of Covid-19.”

Councillor Julie Grocutt, Cabinet Member for Transport and Development at Sheffield City Council, said:

“As we look towards lockdown restrictions starting to lift and more people able to travel around our city for non-essential purposes, it is really important that we still make sure people are as safe as possible when doing so.

“The Covid-19 pandemic isn’t over yet and we still need to be careful, until more people are vaccinated and infection rates are lower - so I’m encouraging Sheffield’s taxi drivers to be prepared and take advantage of the free secure packs on offer to them. The packs will be offered on a first come, first-basis, so please don’t miss out.”

Sheffield-licenced taxi drivers are welcome to attend and will just need to show their ID badge to collect a pack. The distribution will be done in a Covid secure way.

Hafeas Rehman of PMC and CABS project, said:

“We are happy to work with the Council and CABS project to actively support this project and help make Sheffield taxis a safer fleet to work and travel in.”

The Council is working with taxi drivers to help them ensure they are more Covid secure, including advice to let as much fresh air into taxis (ventilation) as possible, to reduce the build-up of the virus, to clean vehicles after each passenger and to keep wearing face coverings face coverings and social distance.

Government Covid-19 guidelines state that passengers must wear face coverings when travelling in a taxi and drivers can refuse entry to anyone not wearing one (unless exempt).

Some people don’t have to wear a face covering including for health, age or disability reasons.

You should not use a taxi if you have Covid-19 symptoms or have tested positive in the last 10 days.

National Covid-19 guidance for taxi drivers is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-taxis-and-phvs.

NHS advice on Covid-19 can be found here at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/