Mask use urged to combat transmission – The Australian Financial Review

“It is our request of you. It’s not compulsory, we are simply asking that if you can wear a mask where you can’t distance, that is exactly what we would like you to do.”
Change in official view
Chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton said that until the past few weeks, the evidence on masks had been ambivalent and there were not strong recommendations in Australia in relation to them.
“A big Lancet meta-analysis study of a number of other studies’ data show that masks make a significant difference, potentially even when understanding that people don’t always wear them perfectly that they don’t provide perfect protection,” Professor Sutton said.
“But when they are worn very broadly across a population where people can’t distance that 1.5 metres then they can make a difference, they can reduce transmission by up to two-thirds.”
Australia has been late promoting the use of masks, with authorities concerned they would give a false sense of security and could encourage risky behaviour.
But a growing body of research has shown that face masks combined with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand-washing and social distancing, help slow the spread of the virus.
Known as source control, face coverings have been widely recommended internationally as a simple barrier to help prevent respiratory droplets from travelling into the air and onto other people when the person wearing the face covering coughs, sneezes, talks or raises their voice.
Fear of shortages
Experts recommend multi-layer cloth masks and say surgical and N95 masks should be avoided because their widespread use may lead to shortages for frontline health workers.
Mr Andrews said the state had a stockpile of 1 million masks and he did not see a need to request more from the national stockpile.
He flagged the wearing of masks would be a feature of the public health response for many months.
“To that end we have already begun the process of getting 2 million reusable masks made and we will be able to then distribute those throughout the community.”
Professor Sutton said he did not think masks were feasible in schools.
“Kids can’t necessarily wear the masks in the same way that adults can. Teachers can’t really teach with masks.
“I think everyone in schools should feel free to bring a mask if they feel comfortable with it. Teachers in the common room, or individual students if they so choose.”
The use of masks has been controversial, with health authorities divided about their effectiveness. In the US masks have become part of a partisan debate about the best response to the daily surges in case numbers, with President Donald Trump reluctant to wear a mask in public.

Click here to view the original article.