Time to wear masks

New advice for lockdowners as numbers soar

VICTORIANS in lockdown are being urged to wear masks if they can’t physically distance when in public.

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) now recommends all Victorians in metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire to wear a mask if unable to socially distance outside.

The Australian Medical Association has adopted a similar stance.

There has been significant debate about the benefits of mask use, but the advice has changed this week as Victoria’s coronavirus tally has spiralled out of control.

Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton warned on Thursday many store-bought masks were not suitable to protect against COVID-19 and urged people to make their own.

He said the state government was working on a public education campaign about how best to do that.

“I think people will need masks but I don’t think there should be a rush on buying single-use masks for example. In fact some masks purchased retail aren’t necessarily good for rewashing and reuse over days and days. We are working up communication materials that will give ... guidance about how to make a basic mask that can be rewashed that those in lockdown can use in the weeks to come.

Australian Medical Association president Dr Tony Bartone said masks were useful on public transport or in crowded locations such as shops and markets.

“This is especially the case in those suburbs where we know community transmission is high,” Dr Bartone said.

But he warned masks were not “a silver bullet, particularly when not worn correctly”.

“Isolation, physical distancing, and regularly washing your hands is more effective at reducing transmission than masks,” he said.

“However, the worsening situation in Melbourne hot spots means everybody must be extra vigilant and extra careful to minimise the risk of the spread of the virus.

“Mask use is just one additional way that safety precautions against transmission can be achieved.”

Australia’s deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth recommended the use of masks for those living in

Melbourne.

“We know when people cough and sneeze particles come out of their mouth, and they are full of respiratory virus,” he said.

“Those particles vary in size from very, very small particles that can remain suspended in the air, through to particles that drop straight onto the ground, or surfaces or people if they are nearby.”

Reason Party leader Fiona Patten called on the government to change Victoria’s public health advice on masks.

“Wearing a mask is a major harm-reduction tool, it simply makes sense,” she said.