Bus drivers on services in Cornwall are to be issued with plastic visors as part of protection measures during the coronavirus outbreak.

Plastic screens will also be fitted to cabs to reduce the risk of the spread of infection between drivers and passengers.

The new measures are being brought in on services run by Go Cornwall, as well as sister company Plymouth Citybus.

Both companies, part of the Go-Ahead group, have been following Public Health England guidelines on how to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The extra measures are now being introduced in an effort to further reduce the infection risk.

Passenger numbers have fallen by 90 per cent due to travel restrictions but they are still operating around four in ten services on the network.

Around 300 of the 620 drivers are still working, with the rest on furlough under the Government business support scheme to guarantee 80 per cent of wages.

Richard Stevens, managing director of Citybus and Go Cornwall, said staff were working closely with local authorities and health trusts to ensure routes for key workers remained open.

He said the company was also ensuring that communities remained connected for people to access essential supplies such as food and medicines.

Mr Stevens said: “We are a safety first organisation. We are literally following all the advice we have got. I come to work to run buses, not to put people in harm’s way.

“Public transport has been decimated by Covid, but it is an essential lifeline for people.

“The overwhelming temptation is just to park everything up, but we can’t do that, we have got to keep communities connected.”

The operator has sourced the plastic face visors from manufacturer Luminati, based at Ivybridge.

The soft screens for cabs, similar to a tent window, were being produced in-house.

A series of measures have been brought in already on local services in line with national guidance in response to the virus.

The include seats near drivers left empty, social distancing, passengers encouraged to use contactless payment, and increased cleaning of vehicles.

Measures are also being taken to follow the guidelines for staff facilities, including extra cleaning and social distancing.

Drivers are having their temperature taken before they start work to check they do not have a fever, one of the main coronavirus symptoms.

Protective gloves are available for drivers to wear, but they are not required under current guidance.

Working with the bus workers’ union RMT, the operator has obtained a supply of hand sanitiser being produced by a brewery in Cornwall.

Mr Stevens paid tribute to the “amazing amount of work” being done by staff behind the scenes and to the drivers keeping services running.

Barry West, regional organiser of the RMT, said: “We welcome the measures that Citybus and Go Cornwall are introducing and the decision of Richard Stevens, who is clearly listening to the concerns of members and the RMT union. 

“Working together at this difficult time is absolutely essential in all that we do, particularly looking after the welfare of our members and that of the travelling public.”

The bus workers’ union has been calling on the industry for an assurance on safety measures including cab screens after reports of drivers becoming infected.

A 60-year-old driver for Stagecoach, based in Plymouth, was reported last week to have been seriously ill in hospital with coronavirus. No update was available on his condition.

On Friday the Government announced £167million funding for bus companies for three months to keep key routes running during the pandemic.