Coronavirus: NSW Police Commissioner Mich­ael Fuller wants flyers to mask up or cop fine

The NSW government is considering instituting a penalty for interstate travellers who do not wear a mask after they have been cleared to leave the airport.

NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller.

The NSW government is considering instituting a penalty for interstate travellers who do not wear a mask after they have been cleared to leave the airport, following­ concerns raised by the Police Commissioner about the potential for transmission.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard revealed on Tuesday that he had received a request from NSW Police Commissioner Mich­ael Fuller to examine whether public health orders should be enacted to ensure that travellers disembarking from flights wore a mask once they left the airport.

Mr Hazzard said he believed the number of such travellers was low but conceded that talks were ongoing as to whether such a measure “might be necessary”.

NSW Labor continued to step up its calls for Victorian arrivals to undergo mandatory hotel quarantine of the kind being forced upon travellers disembar­k­ing from international flights.

“NSW residents entering from Victoria are now as great a risk as those returning from overseas,” said Labor’s health spokesman Ryan Park on Tuesday.

“We can’t take any chances and we know the most effective thing we’ve done to combat this virus was mandatory hotel quarantine for people travelling from overseas hotspots.”

Up to 200 people have been arriving in NSW from Victoria each day on domestic flights.

Currently those arriving from Victoria can only enter NSW if they are a NSW resident or are carrying a valid permit stating that they are a defence official, a doctor or nurse, a critical worker in energy, mining or construction, a child protection worker, or a disability worker.

Those arriving without a ­permit are forced to complete 14 days of quarantine in a specially appointed accommodation site.