Passengers beat up bus driver ruthlessly till he's brain-dead after he didn't let them board without masks
A French bus driver was declared brain dead after being attacked for refusing to let people who were not wearing masks aboard the bus.
The alleged group of attackers was not wearing masks and did not have tickets as they tried to board a bus in Bayonne on July 5. Masks are mandatory on public transport across France. The driver, in his 50s, was repeatedly punched as he tried to stop the group from entering the bus, leading to serious head injury. As of July 6 morning, one person was in custody while others were being sought by authorities, a police source in Bayonne said. The source explained that the driver was unconscious when he arrived at the hospital, and doctors declared him brain dead on July 6.
Several of the driver's colleagues refused to work in protest against the brutal attack, disrupting regional bus services. According to French media, the bus company joined the drivers in their protest and called the strike "completely legitimate". A number of drivers showed up at the hospital to show their solidarity and support for the man, who is in a critical condition.
As reported by Sud Ouest, several bus drivers said they were shocked but not surprised by the disturbing attack after a series of assaults that took place in recent days. They told the outlet that due to a lack of security on public transport, there had been "daily tensions" with passengers of late. Masks were made mandatory on public transport in France as the country gradually eased their lockdown in May and June. France has reported more than 167,000 positive cases and nearly 30,000 Covid-19 fatalities, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
As we recently reported, a group of over 200 scientists has called for the World Health Organization (WHO) and other relevant bodies to recognize the potential for Covid-19 to spread through airborne transmission. In an open letter, which will soon be published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, researchers have called for greater acknowledgment of the role of airborne spread of Covid-19 and the subsequent need for countries and governments to take appropriate action and implement preventive measures against this risk.
According to the WHO, the new coronavirus is transmitted primarily between people through respiratory droplets and contact routes. The WHO says airborne transmission may be possible in specific circumstances and settings in which medical procedures like intubation or support treatments that generate aerosols are performed.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also says that the virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person, between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet), through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. The CDC says it may be possible that a person can get Covid-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
That said, the open letter claims emerging evidence, including those from closed indoor settings and super spreading events, suggests that airborne transmission could be more important than the medical community and relevant bodies such as the WHO has acknowledged. According to the scientists, many studies have shown viruses are released during talking or coughing in microdroplets — that are small enough to linger in the air and risk exposure at distances more than 3 feet to 6 feet from an infected person.