One of New Zealand's top infectious disease experts has called for facemasks to be made compulsory on public transport over winter, despite being 95 percent confident the coronavirus has been eliminated from our shores.
It's been 16 days since the last confirmed case of COVID-19 here, and it's widely expected this week we'll move to pandemic alert level 1.
"New Zealand did a model response," University of Otago epidemiologist Michael Baker told The AM Show on Monday. "We've basically eliminated the virus, or are very close to it. At this point, it's a very low probability we've still got any virus circulating in New Zealand."
The fact we still have one active case is no cause for concern.
"We know about them, they're in isolation. It's the cases we don't know about, the unseen ones, that are the risk for New Zealand."
SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, can spread amongst people without showing any symptoms, which has made it difficult to stamp out in many parts of the world. If you are infected, wearing a facemask can dramatically reduce the chance you'll spread it - which is why the World Health Organization this weekend updated its formal advice to recommend wearing masks when in public.
"This is something New Zealand needs to look at, going ahead," said Dr Baker. "It's a bit like handwashing - it's a form of hygiene protection that's working very well across the globe at protecting countries."
Countries in which facemasks have been an everyday item of clothing since the SARS outbreak 18 years ago have had incredible success in halting the spread of COVID-19, despite being some of the first to have outbreaks.
"Hong Kong has handed out masks to the entire population," said Dr Baker. "Taiwan, that has eliminated this virus, has just passed a law requiring the use of facemasks on public transport."
He wants our Government to do the same.
"It's another line of defence. We'd encourage the Government to hand out masks to people on public transport just as airlines have masks available now."
They don't need to be hospital-grade N95 masks - those are designed to protect medical staff from contracting the disease. Reusable masks made of fabric can stop droplets with the virus from escaping, so would be good enough for the public to wear as a precautionary measure against spreading the virus - particularly as winter approaches.
"If we are going to go to level 1 we are going to have a lot more people indoors in social situations, and that's what's caused outbreaks internationally... Generally in health protection you need this multi-barrier approach - you can't just have one defence. You need the borders, you need contact tracing, you need the use of masks in selective situations as well."
The Government is expected to reveal details of life under level 1, as well as when we'll move there, on Monday afternoon.
