COVID-19 Sydney: Call for masks to be made mandatory

With NSW grappling with a growing coronavirus cluster, experts have agreed there is one restriction that needs to be introduced immediately.

There are fears NSW could be on the brink of a second wave of COVID-19 infections, with experts saying there is one restriction that could cut the risk down considerably.

Sydney’s northern beaches cluster has risen to 83, with more coronavirus cases expected to be confirmed today.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has already introduced a lockdown of the northern beaches and imposed restrictions across Greater Sydney, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains.

However, experts are also calling on the government to introduce an unpopular restriction, saying it could drastically reduce the spread of the virus.

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Experts are calling for mandatory mask wearing in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Flavio Brancaleone

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Australian National University infectious disease expert, Sanjaya Senanayake, told Sky News that masks need to be made mandatory immediately.

“I think mask wearing should be mandatory. It has been shown to be safe, effective and cheap,” he said.

“It’s one of those measures once the outbreak is under control you can stop mask wearing.

“Bring it in, make it mandatory. We know from earlier in the year only about a third of people wore masks when it was recommended, therefore making it mandatory will make people more compliant.”

The NSW government strongly recommends mask wearing in situations where people can’t practice social distancing, such as in shopping centres and on public transport but is yet to make the wearing of masks mandatory.

Ms Berejiklian again pleaded with Sydneysiders to don a face covering when out and about.

“In terms of mask-wearing - please make sure, if you’re in an indoor setting... if you’re catching public transport, you need to be wearing a mask,” she said.

“If you’re going grocery shopping or indoor shopping in a mall or anywhere else, you need to be wearing a mask. Indoor settings that Health has already identified, you should be wearing a mask. Particularly if it’s a place of worship.

“We already know what the high risk areas are. We know what the high risk areas of transmission are and we ask people to respond accordingly. Don’t think that you’re immune.”

Health Minister Brad Hazzard was questioned this morning over why the government hasn’t moved to mandatory mask wearing, despite multiple experts calling for the change.

“We have been considering all options for the entire 11 months of this COVID situation. The health advice at the present time is that people should be wearing masks if they are indoors

or if they are in buses,” he told ABC News Breakfast.

Mr Hazzard was then asked again why it wasn’t mandatory.

“Sorry, can I just finish?” Mr Hazzard responded.

“Can you just answer the question, why wouldn’t you mandate it if you recommend it?” the interviewer said.

“I was trying to answer that, actually,” Mr Hazzard replied.

“What I was saying was the public health officials are recommending that it be used but not make it mandatory at the present time.”

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Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the government was strongly recommending the use of masks in indoor public spaces and public transport. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

He said one of the main reasons the government hadn’t made masks mandatory was because many people were already wearing masks.

“But also buses, for example, if we have bus drivers having to act like police, there is already a level of anxiety for them and we don’t want to put them in a situation where they will be policemen and possibly getting into the sorts of fights that might happen with the rare numbers who might be aggressive,” Mr Hazzard said.

“Wear the mask if you’re inside but don’t forget the basic rules that got us through this before, that is hand hygiene, you should clean your hands multiple times a day with the appropriate sterilising equipment.

“You should be maintaining that 1.5m social distance, no matter where you are and if you have any symptoms at all, even fatigue, an itchy throat or anything of a cold or flu nature, go and get tested.”

The lockdown in the northern beaches and restrictions in Greater Sydney will be in place until midnight on Wednesday.

Dr Senanayake said the next few days will be critical in determining whether harsher measured need to be introduced.

“This is still very early in the outbreak. So the next few days are going to tell us the extent of it,” he said.

“Important factors will be how many cases are outside the northern beaches area and how many are unlinked. That might take a few days, so I can’t necessarily see the restrictions being lifted before that Wednesday midnight.”

He warned that if cases continued to rise then a lockdown of Greater Sydney was likely.