Manchester bus passenger uses pet python as ‘face mask’, leaves fellow passengers startled

Just when you thought 2020 couldn’t get any weirder, another bizarre incident was reported on Monday, wherein a 46-year-old man from Manchester was spotted in a bus with a python wrapped around his neck and mouth. He was apparently using his pet serpent as a face mask.

The man boarded the bus travelling between Swinton and Manchester city centre with a light brown reptile with diamond-shaped markings on its skin, wrapped around his neck and the lower part of his face.

One of the passengers on the bus reportedly believed the man was wearing a "funky, colourful mask" before she spotted the creature slithering over the handrails. The reptile, however, did not seem to bother anyone on the bus and the passengers thought the incident was entertaining as "no one batted an eyelid."

It is not known if the man was confronted by the driver over his choice of face covering, but pictures showed he was not wearing a mask under the snake.

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Following the protocol?

It is mandatory for all passengers in Britain to use a face covering on public transport in light of the coronavirus pandemic, except for those who are exempted for reasons of age, health or disability. The man who boarded the bus with the reptile perhaps did so to mock the COVID-19 restrictions. Well, medical experts have strongly discouraged using snakes as face coverings in any setting. The passenger has also been warned that it is not a legitimate mask.

While the government guidance clearly states that a surgical mask is not mandatory, people are allowed to make their own face coverings or wear something fitting, such as a scarf or bandana. However, the protocol does not extend to the use of snakeskin - "especially when still attached to the live snake," a transport official said. 

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