While Tasmania's COVID-19 health emergency declaration officially ended on June 30, a recent spike in hospitalisations and deaths has left some considering whether mask mandates should return.
Hospital patients with COVID in Tasmania have increased five-fold in the past month, and hospitals across to state have increased their escalation plans.
Nurses at the Royal Hobart Hospital have threatened to strike over mounting pressures.
Walking the streets of Hobart's CBD, many members of the public have decided to keep wearing masks.
Robyn Murrell said she felt quite worried when she ventured outside as she had a chronic lung disease.
"You go around the shops now, nobody worries about social distancing, people just brush past you whether they've got masks on or not."
One man said he would wear a mask if it helped those who were immunocompromised.
"I wouldn't be too surprised at the moment [if they were brought back] because we've had spikes [in cases] recently, so I wouldn't be too opposed to it, I guess."
What power does the state government have to reintroduce mandates?
When the health emergency declaration ended, Public Health director Mark Veitch explained it related to a set of legal processes and powers but did not change the government's ability to respond to the pandemic.
Capacity restrictions, masks, and rules for cases and isolating can still change where it is deemed appropriate.
The state government has continuously said that although the declaration has ended, the COVID pandemic is not over.
It said it was not currently considering reintroducing mask mandates, but would do so if advised by public health.
State Health Commander Kathrine Morgan-Wicks said wearing a mask in all indoor public spaces and when you could not physically distance was "strongly recommended".
"The best protection continues to be vaccination," she said.
Is reinstating mandates the solution?
Deakin Professor and Chair in Epidemiology Catherine Bennett said she believed it was time states moved away from "all or nothing" thinking when it came to COVID mandates, and considered long-term plans for dealing with the virus.
"Public health messaging isn't just telling people what to do, either through rules or messages that encourage it," Dr Bennett said.
"It's actually about sharing information that keeps people engaged in what's happening in relation to COVID in their community and helps them understand their own risk, and therefore motivates them to reduce their own risk through other measures.
But epidemiologist and Tasmanian Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff said Tasmania had already reached its breaking point for dealing with the virus, and stronger action was needed.
"Strongly recommending masks often doesn't cut it," she said.
"People need to be directed to wear a mask in certain places and left to their own decisions to wear one in other places.
Dr Woodruff said she wanted to see mask mandates reintroduced in all health facilities, aged care homes, and disability care, as opposed to rules being determined by each individual facility.
"The rates of infection and the number of cases we've seen swamping hospitals has now been steadily increasing for the past month," she said.
Tasmania 'should have similar school rules to Victoria'
In Victoria, school students over eight years old are being required to wear masks until the end of winter.
Dr Woodruff said until the winter COVID spike had eased, similar rules should be adopted in Tasmanian schools.
"We want to do everything we can to keep students in the classroom," she said.
She also wants to see the government have stronger messaging when it came to COVID.
"The evidence is very clear. The more times people are reinfected with COVID, there's increased risk of a wide number of potentially dangerous long-term health conditions.
"That message is being completely lost by the Health Minister at the moment, and it's why it is hard for people to see why masks are important."
'I strongly encourage people to wear masks'
Shadow Health Minister Anita Dow echoed the message that Premier and Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff needed to act on the current situation in Tasmanian hospitals.
"This has been ongoing for many years now, but it has only been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.
"We have nurses taking strike action, and we have chaos across our hospital system, across our community, and across our economy."
Ms Dow said she wanted greater transparency between public health and the general public.
"The Labor Party has always advocated for a strong public education campaign – for there to be information provided to the community," she said.
"By providing information, you instil faith and trust in the processes of government."
Ms Dow did not confirm whether she believed mask mandates should be reintroduced but stated that Labor would support any public health advice.
"This is why it's so important that the government is transparent about the public health advice, what it means for Tasmania, and indeed whether there should be any changes.
