Mask mandates matter of debate as Covid cases increase
DEBATE continues to rage over whether mask mandates should be reintroduced as the country’s Covid numbers surge amid a third wave fuelled by Omicron BA. 4 and BA. 5 subvariants.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said following Saturday’s snap national cabinet meeting that states and territories had agreed to deliver consistent health messaging to encourage people to follow chief medical officer professor Paul Kelly’s advice.
“These include wearing masks indoors where appropriate, where people are mixing and can’t have social distancing, it makes sense for that to be highly encouraged,” he said.
So far there has been no indication that mask mandates will be returning.
Following national cabinet, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk held a press conference in which she “strongly encouraged” people to wear masks indoors.
“I am urging Queenslanders, let’s all do the right thing and let’s wear our masks while we’re indoors,” she said on Saturday.
“I’m strongly encouraging when school goes back on Monday for children to be wearing masks in schools as well as teachers.
“It’s very clear that the best thing that we can do and it’s not a huge inconvenience to us, is to wear these masks and go and get your booster.”
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell had flagged earlier that masks and other restrictions could be reintroduced on a school-by-school basis.
“Certainly what I would say is we are absolutely feeling the pressure of Covid-19 and flu in our schools; there’s no question of that,” she said on Friday. It comes after Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas revealed she ignored advice from the state’s acting chief health officer Ben Cowie to reintroduce mask mandates in some settings.
“The chief health officer has provided his advice and I have accepted his advice, except that I have chosen not to extend mandates for mask wearing in some of the settings that were recommended to me,” she said.