Luton taxi and private hire drivers provided with face coverings and hand sanitisers from council
Updated: Nov 12, 2020
Luton councillors mobilised recently to provide face coverings and hand sanitiser bottles to all of Luton’s taxi and private hire trade drivers.
Since the start of the pandemic the council has been supporting Luton’s front line workers who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
The latest initiative saw councillors Javed Hussain, Khtija Malik and Abbas Hussain arrange for approximately 20,000 face coverings and more than 16,000 hand sanitiser bottles to be distributed to drivers to further protect themselves, their passengers and their family members. Cllr Javed Hussain, portfolio holder for adult social care, said: “As front line workers, Luton’s taxi and private hire drivers have been instrumental in keeping Luton running throughout the crisis and we have so much to thank them for. “While it’s not mandatory for drivers to wear face coverings, we felt this was the right thing to do given the nature of their roles which regularly puts them into contact with people when doing their job.
“I was proud to be part of this initiative which helped raise awareness of the importance of face coverings and hand hygiene which are both vital for all of us in protecting ourselves, our family and our communities.”
Cllr Khtija Malik, portfolio holder for public health, added: “It was great to be involved in this positive initiative and I know the drivers were really appreciative of the support we were able to provide them.
“We know front line workers are at higher risk from Covid-19, and the fact that the taxi/private hire trade are predominately from BAME backgrounds make them more vulnerable to the disease made this even more important in explaining how we can protect ourselves. “Face coverings and hand hygiene are fundamental to slowing down the spread of the disease and we are confident this this has helped raise awareness of its importance."
