Public transport warning ahead of COVID-19 rule easing

Commuters are being urged to remain vigilant and stay masked on public transport.

Most of the remaining COVID-19 rules will lift at 11.59pm tonight, but face coverings should still be worn on public transport, at airports, in hospitals and other sensitive settings.

Chief health officer Brett Sutton concedes many public transport passengers have already become complacent.

“I’d like to see more people wearing masks on public transport, it’s not fantastically high,” he said on Thursday.

“You’re in a crowded space and there’s a lot of rebreathing of other people’s air, so it is a good idea to wear a mask on public transport in particular.”

As the state prepares to ease mask, vaccination and isolation rules, the number of people hospital with COVID-19 is steadily rising.

The latest Department of Health figures show there are 444 in hospital with the virus, which is 134 more than at the start of the month.