It is too early to mandate mask use in the ACT, experts say, but Canberrans should prepare now and get used to using them when physical distancing cannot be maintained.
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ACT chief health officer Kerryn Coleman said due to low case numbers and no evidence of community transmission, masks were not yet required by the general public.
However, she told Canberrans to prepare a "home kit" of coronavirus essentials, including face coverings.
There are currently no active cases of COVID-19 in the ACT, and a new infection has not been recorded for more than three weeks.
Across the border, NSW residents were strongly recommended to use masks in high-risk situations from Monday.
In areas where physical distancing cannot be maintained such as grocery stores and public transport as well as worshippers and customer-facing workers should wear masks, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
University of NSW epidemiologist Abrar Ahmad Chughtai said NSW was on the borderline and masks could be made mandatory now in preparation.
The state reported 13 new infections to 8pm Sunday night bringing the total tally to 3608. Across Sydney there are 16 cases with an unknown source and one in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Government Area.
Dr Chughtai said it was too early to mandate masks in the ACT but residents could use them when physical distancing was not guaranteed.
"At this point of time we don't have a high number of cases [in NSW] but there are strong predictions that at some point in time in NSW we will see surging cases like Melbourne," he said.
"If cases increase in NSW then we might see more cases in the ACT," he said.
"There is no harm in taking extra measures."
Dr Coleman supported Canberra businesses taking further steps to request customers wear masks.
Masks were also encouraged for students returning to the University of Canberra campus this week.
Time to 'prime the community' ahead of mandatory mask use
UNSW social scientist Holly Seale said there was merit in "priming the community" for new measures before infections increased.
"To be most effective [masks] need to be introduced ahead of that upward curve," she said.
"In Victoria, they introduced it very rapidly and it appears by all accounts that people down there have quite quickly jumped on and started to use them.
"But if a policy came out in the next couple of days in NSW, I personally wouldn't have sufficient masks for my family."
In alerting to the community a time may be ahead where masks are necessary would hopefully prevent people using last resort options such as a scarf or bandanna, Dr Seale said.
On Monday, the ACT government did just that.
"We know that coronavirus is going to be with us for six, 12, 18 months ... maybe even two years. I think that we should start thinking about it in the same way that we plan for a bushfire," Dr Coleman said.
"We need our home kits in case you need to evacuate. So what are some of the things that we need to keep ourselves safe if we do start getting coronavirus cases in the ACT?
"One of them might be some form of mask, but we also need to think about soap, hand hygiene measures."
As masks become more commonplace in other states and some ACT venues, Dr Seale said it would make for an easier uptake among the broader community.
"It will help if we see larger proportions of the community adopting this because it will feel it is a normalisation of behaviour," she said.
"It's not just for particular groups, it's about everybody working together to stop transmission."
'Masks are just one layer of intervention'
Wearing a mask is the fourth line of defence against coronavirus and must be taken alongside the new normal of physical distancing and good hand hygiene.
"We need to understand masks are just one layer of intervention," Dr Chughtai said.
He said no measure alone would be effective in the fight against coronavirus and it was imperative the public stuck to the basics of keeping a distance, washing their hands and staying home if sick.
"If you are implementing social distancing, even social distancing is not enough, you need hand hygiene," he said.
"There are two uses of masks, one is to protect you and secondly to prevent the spread of infection.
"We need to educate people, even if you have a mild infection, even if you don't have symptoms still you can infect someone, and those people might die."
"That is why if we can't maintain social distancing we should encourage people to use masks."