| I'm still wearing a mask on the London Underground. For one thing, face coverings are still officially required as a condition of carriage on the Transport for London network. That means anyone not in compliance on a train or bus could be asked to leave unless exempt for medical or other reasons—in theory, anyway.
Until recently, most people on my journeys also wore face coverings (though not always correctly), and anyone not doing so stood out and was easy to avoid. Now, anecdotally, it seems like roughly half of riders still mask up on subways and buses in the U.K. capital, though I've yet to witness enforcement beyond periodic reminders from recorded announcements and posters. The changed behavior is occurring just as temperatures start to drop and passengers begin closing bus windows, which makes the case for wearing masks even stronger because of the poor ventilation.
TfL's latest research puts the compliance level a bit higher than my personal observations: It found that from Aug. 22 to Sept. 18, 77% of customers "claimed to wear a mask on every journey." That was down from 82% during the previous four weeks.  The decline may stem in part from confusion or frustration caused by conflicting measures. In July, London Mayor Sadiq Khan continued to make face coverings compulsory in stations and during journeys after Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government dropped the legal requirement at the national level. Science supports wearing masks as a measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19. "It is clear the changes brought in by the government, which included removing powers for fixed penalty notices to be issued or prosecutions to be brought for non-compliance, have given passengers mixed signals and affected compliance," says a spokesperson for Khan. "Unless face coverings are made compulsory on public transport across the country, there is a real risk of undoing our hard work when it is vital we remain vigilant against the virus." The situation on London's Tube contrasts with the New York City subway system, where those in violation of the mask requirement still risk a $50 fine. Anecdotal evidence gleaned from friends and colleagues suggests compliance in New York is higher than in London. The mayor continues to lobby ministers to bring back the national mask requirement on public transport so there is more consistency, or otherwise introduce a bylaw to empower British Transport Police to take stronger action in London. Unless and until that happens, I can probably expect to see more full faces on the Tube.—Anne Pollak | 
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