Daniel Andrews says keeping public transport mask rule in place ‘is something that will make a difference’

Daniel Andrews has responded to questions about mandatory masks on public transport following the scrapping of the mandate on domestic flights.

While mask mandates will lift for passengers travelling on domestic flights from Thursday night, the same can’t be said for Victoria public transport users.

Premier Daniel said masks will remain mandatory on public transport across the state for the foreseeable future.

“There are not literally in any given week, millions and millions of Victorians getting on a plane. There are millions and millions of Victorians, certainly hundreds of thousands, at any given moment, on trams, on trains, and on buses,” Mr Andrews said.

“And particularly, when you think about footy and pushing into spring racing carnival … it’s not about comparing a rule here with a rule there.”

The mask mandate on public transport will stay. Picture: David Crosling

“This is something that will make a difference. And my view is if it’s going to take pressure off, even one nurse for one shift in one hospital, it’s worth doing. So those rules are unchanged.”

Mr Andrews said it was the Federal Government who is responsible for running airports, not the state government.

He added catching a plane occasionally was different to the “enormous” number of Victorians using public transport everyday.

“I can’t sit here and give you an exact number of how many infections (mask wearing) will prevent,” Mr Andrews said.

“But what I also wasn’t going to do was have a situation where people flying into Melbourne on the plane don’t need a mask but people flying out do.

“So sometimes, some consistency is not unimportant as well.”

Big change in how Vic will release Covid data

Covid cases in Victoria will now be released weekly under a major shake-up of how public health officials report on the virus.

Health ministers from across Australia have agreed to a new format for Covid reporting.

Under the current model, case numbers and other figures such as hospitalisations and deaths are reported daily.

But from Friday this will now move to a weekly model, with the first of these reports to come on September 16.

The change was first revealed by ACT Health but it’s understood Victoria will follow the same pattern along with other states.

It comes just a week after Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas lifted the work from home recommendation.

The decision was made after reviewing the threat posed by Covid at the end of winter.