Covid 19 coronavirus: Should masks stay mandatory on public transport?

Experts have questioned whether some measures to combat Covid-19 should stay mandatory after Auckland moves to alert level 1 at midnight on Wednesday.

It comes amid fresh concern over complacency - prompting a plea from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern when she made today's announcement.

The drop down means there will be no limits on gatherings and the removal of social distancing requirements in restaurants and bars in the city.

Masks are not required on public transport in alert level 1 but Ardern urged people to keep being vigilant - by washing hands, staying home if sick, scanning QR codes and getting tested if even feeling slightly sick.

Ardern pointed out that QR scans had halved from their peak at the height of the current outbreak.

Dr Andrew Chen, a research fellow at Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, The University of Auckland, has been observing that trend with worry.

"As Auckland enters level 1, we may see increased levels of mobility and will see the return of larger group gatherings," he said.

"If Covid-19 returns to the community, these both increase the risk of the infection spreading quickly and in ways that may be difficult to predict."

Chen said all Kiwis had a role to play in protecting themselves and others - and one of the most important steps they could take was keeping track of their movements.

"In the event of a new outbreak, the contact tracers will want at least 14 days of movement records to help them find other people who may have been exposed and to cut off the chains of transmission," he said.

"We can't just start keeping records at the beginning of the next outbreak - we need records before it arrives.

"Using the NZ Covid Tracer app is one of the most effective ways to keep track of your records."

Otherwise, people could log their movement using pen-and-paper diaries, or taking timestamped photos of the places they went.

"This is one tool to help us reduce the impact of future outbreaks, along with other preventative actions like washing your hands and wearing face masks."

Lesley Gray, a senior lecturer in Otago University's Department of Primary Health Care, felt mask wearing on public transport should be required at all alert levels.

"I have observed that mask wearing on trains has dropped to very low numbers," she said.

"It is encouraging that around 3 million people have now downloaded the Covid tracer app, however if people are not scanning when entering a business, or signing in if they do not have the app, is a bit like having fly screens on your windows with your doors wide open.

"The better we are at recording our movements, the quicker we can alert possible contacts if we were to have a future community outbreak.

"Maintaining good hand hygiene, covering coughs or sneezes and not becoming complacent are key."

Jacqui Maguire, a registered clinical psychologist, also sounded concern over mask-wearing and gathering sizes not being enforcable at level 1.

"Whilst I believe we need to maintain vigilant to a virus that is likely to reappear, without an imminent threat to daily living, it can be hypothesised the lack of strict regulations will lead to complacency," she said.

"From a behavioural psychology perspective clarity, simplicity, reminders, routine, reinforcement and reward are the ingredients for effective behaviour change and maintenance."