Wear a mask in public: New guidelines from the state government
For the first time, the NSW Government has called on residents to wear masks in public and to avoid non-essential travel and high risk venues.
NSW Coronavirus News
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Health authorities have taken the major step of advising NSW residents to wear masks in public as fears grow the state is on the brink of a Victoria-like explosion in COVID-19 cases.
In a further escalation the Berejiklian government has moved to establish a new border exclusion zone along the Murray River to tighten restrictions on interstate travel.
Medical experts have welcomed NSW Health’s new edict to “consider using masks in situations where you are unable to social distance”.
The advice also calls on people to take “extra care” by also avoiding crowded areas, non-essential travel, keeping home gatherings under 10 and skipping high-risk venues like restaurants and gyms.
The new Murray River border zone comes into effect from midnight on Monday along with tightened permit conditions and stronger enforcement powers.
“Border zone residents with a permit will only be able to cross into the other side of the NSW-Victorian border zone to go to work or attend an education institution if they can’t work or learn from home, or to obtain medical care, supplies or health services,” NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.
“On top of that, we’re strengthening the rules so the fewer people granted permits to enter NSW must now carry a copy of their permit and produce it when directed by enforcement officers.”
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NSW border residents will be restricted in their reasons for travelling into the Victorian side of the border zone.
If they travel beyond the border zone into Victoria, they will be required to self-isolate upon return for 14 days.
Any other NSW resident who crosses the Murray River, or otherwise enters Victoria or has been there in the last 14 days, will be required to self-isolate for 14 days on their return.
All NSW residents are strongly urged not to travel to Victoria, the government said.
NSW yesterday reported 18 new cases, five of whom were overseas travellers in quarantine. The total number of cases associated with the Crossroads Hotel cluster now stands at 45.
Head of the Biosecurity Program at the Kirby Institute at UNSW Professor Raina MacIntyre said the Sydney cases were “probably the tip of the iceberg”.
“We saw a similar picture in Melbourne where it stayed in the low double digits for some time, then rose up to the 70s and 80s, and suddenly surged into the hundreds of cases a day,” she said.
To assist the suppression of the virus, The Daily Telegraph is today publishing a template for DIY masks that readers can make at home. There is also a non-sewn version.
Professor MacIntyre said face masks were a “low cost” and ”safe” intervention. Research had found transmission could be reduced by up to 85 per cent with a medical grade N95 mask and by 67 per cent with a simple surgical mask. “The impact is much greater if they’re used earlier,” she said.
She told The Daily Telegraph key design principles to follow in making a cloth face mask included having at least three layers of cloth and using water resistant cloth on the outer layer such as a polyester.
Yesterday Majella Grawatsch wore a mask shopping at Broadway. Children Audrey and William also wore them until they had a drink and refused to put them back on. “We heard on the radio that we should wear masks … think it’s a good idea,” Mrs Grawatsch said. “Anything we can do to stop the virus.”