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The union for Winnipeg bus drivers is urging each rider to don a mask before they board.

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505 said it expects facial coverings could help protect against the spread of COVID-19.

"It’ll give some piece of mind to other riders, knowing they’d be protected that way, and it gives some security to our drivers as well," said James Van Gerwen, vice-president of ATU 1505.

Advice on whether Canadians should wear masks in public has shifted over the past few weeks. Recently, health officials have said people can reduce their risk of spreading coronavirus to others by wearing non-medical masks, though the devices may not actually protect the person wearing them.

The general public has consistently been asked not to wear medical masks, to ensure those remain available for health workers and first responders.

Van Gerwen said he also hopes Winnipeg Transit will provide washable, non-medical masks to drivers.

"If we’re going to be in close quarters with each other, especially in an enclosed space, if everybody would have a mask on, it would (be a benefit)," he said.

The union leader said ATU and the city now agree on a separate COVID-19 matter. ATU had previously lobbied Winnipeg Transit to let riders board buses without paying fares to reduce contact with drivers. Van Gerwen said officials on both sides now agree fares should be charged.

"We’ve learned from other cities that when they stopped collecting fares, the general public were coming and just riding around just for the sake of riding around and that’s something we have to limit and stop," he said.

The union and Transit have both asked riders to use the bus for essential trips only during the pandemic.

Van Gerwen said the union still asks that those who don’t require support to exit the bus through rear doors to keep more distance from drivers.

Jason Shaw, Winnipeg’s assistant chief of emergency management, said the city is assessing guidelines on mask use and not issuing new advice to bus riders right now.

Shaw said further Transit safety measures could be added, if provincial public health orders warrant them.

"It is an essential service and we want to continue to make sure that it’s safe," he said.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga