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While it is not mandatory for masks to be worn all the time when people leave their homes, Ardern said it has not been ruled out and will apply if the Cabinet believes it is necessary.
“It is not an easy thing to ask for a sudden mandate and create a legal framework around that. However, we are going to go as far as we can and say that we are strongly encouraging its use, and as a cabinet we will reserve the right to require a mandate if We believe it is not being used appropriately, particularly in Auckland where we are really encouraging that use, “he said.
“There are a number of issues that you should keep in mind [when creating a mandate]; How do you make sure you are enforcing it, what is the sanctions regime, who is responsible for enforcing it? For example, would you require retailers to prevent people from entering a store if they don’t wear a mask? Then you have to think about what happens in escalation cases. “
Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay said the advice from the Health Ministry focused on what should be mandatory in New Zealand’s current COVID-19 environment.
“In a level 2 alert environment, which are low levels of community transmission, we consider that the greatest risk was in a public transport situation environment and that, therefore, it would have merit to require the use of masks in that environment” he said on Sunday.
“But that is a different situation than generally promoting mask use in addition to all the other public health interventions that are available.”
Alert Level 2 and ‘2.5’ restrictions will remain in effect until at least September 6.
