Australia isn’t changing its policy on public use of facemasks, despite guidance from the WHO that they should be worn on public transport when social distancing.

The WHO said it was abandoning its previous stance of not encouraging the use of masks outside of healthcare settings as a result of “evolving evidence”.

It cited a meta-analysis of observational studies, published in the Lancet earlier this month, suggesting surgical or reusable masks reduced the odds of transmission of any coronavirus between close contacts, such as members of the same household, by 67%.

Its revamped advice applies to busy buses, trains and planes, as well as people such as shop cashiers and social workers working in countries with known or suspected community transmission of COVID-19.