Confusion over masks in cars rule


5th July 2021
I've just written to the Police Minister, the Health Minister and Attorney-General to get some sort of clarity and fairness applied to the masks-in-cars rule.
I've just written to the Police Minister, the Health Minister and Attorney-General to get some sort of clarity and fairness applied to the masks-in-cars rule.
I've been contacted by a number of people in recent days regarding local people from different addresses who have been fined for not wearing masks while in the car together.
In one case, a young local driver and his girlfriend from Newcastle were fined after driving home together without masks. So, two partners in an intimate relationship, but living at different addresses, fined for being unmasked in the car together!
Police say their enforcement is correct and are relying on Part 3 of the Public Health Order, clause 17, sub-clause 3 which says someone in a car is only exempt from the mask rule if they're travelling with someone from the same household. In other words, if you're driving a work colleague (or someone from a different address to you) in the car you need to both wear masks.
Notwithstanding the fact that masks are not compulsory if you're outdoors in the local area, I say that's not clear at all! I'd say it's obscure, and that's putting it nicely.
More to the point, I think it's ridiculous that police are fining local people here in the Hunter which is outside the high-risk areas of Sydney. It hasn't been mentioned by the Police Minister, the Premier or NSW Health in any of the public briefings I've seen, so I totally accept that most people are unaware of the rule!
It's no wonder people are confused. A bit of common sense and fairness would go a long way!

<< Previous | Next >>