NSW transport minister Andrew Constance has said that wearing a mask on public transport will be mandated if voluntary use is not widely adopted by the public. Until now, NSW authorities have refused to enforce mask wearing in public as a legal requirement, instead opting to “strongly recommend” the safety practice, and only in certain high-risk environments, such as on public transport or in crowded shops.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the premier’s daily press conference, Constance said: “We need everyone to put them on so we don’t have a Melbourne-style lockdown… It’s really important we start to see more people wearing them. The premier, in terms of her very strong messaging, [says] let’s get the masks on. You know, ultimately how do you enforce it? Melbourne are fining people. My preference is not to fine people, but if we’ve got to move to that mandatory requirement, that’s what we’ll need to go to.”