Victorians need to stop complaining and just wear a mask, writes Susie O’Brien
It’s time to stop moaning. The Chief Health Officer’s advice to wear a mask is something we need to follow. This is not a time for people to make up their own rules, writes Susie O’Brien.
Susie O'Brien
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In Brett we trust. If state Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says we now need to wear face masks, then we should do so — without moaning or complaining.
After the botched hotel quarantine fiasco, I no longer have much faith in Premier Daniel Andrews’ management of the virus, but I will take medical advice from Prof Sutton.
We must hold Andrews to account, and the inquiry into the quarantine debacle will do this.
But Andrews’ failings is no excuse for turning mask-wearing into a political issue, or railing against wearing masks.
We should all wear masks from today because it will help to combat the virus. It’s our duty to do what we can to save lives.
Yes, some of the medical advice over past months has been contradictory in relation to masks, but this is because of the constantly changing situation we are in.
New research and a better understanding of how the virus operates has helped scientists pinpoint what’s important and what’s not.
Recent evidence highlights the importance of wearing masks in conjunction with hand washing and social distancing. Less important are wiping down groceries and mobile phones.
Some months ago, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation did not recommend people wear cloth masks. The concern was widespread mask-wearing would lead to complacency and use up equipment needed by frontline health workers. But now both organisations advocate population-wide mask-wearing.
The director of the CDC said he believed the pandemic could be brought under control in the US over the next four to eight weeks if everyone wore masks.
According to the American Medical Association, there is ample evidence that masks reduce transmission and stop asymptomatic spread of the disease.
One recent study by Derek Chu from McMaster University in Canada analysed 172 studies across 16 countries and found face masks were beneficial in preventing viral spread.
We now have a clearer understanding of the way masks prevent pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic transmission of the virus, particularly through droplets, which can be expelled while speaking.
Scientists now believe having 80 per cent of people wearing masks will do more to prevent the virus spreading than a strict lockdown that would be crippling to our society and economy.
I don’t blame the government for not rushing into mandatory mask wearing rules. Forcing people to wear masks — and fining them if they do not — is a sign community transmission is rampant and we are all at risk.
Asking us all to wear masks before we felt personally unsafe would have been pointless and an excuse for people to not properly social distance. In any case, Prof Sutton has been saying for weeks now masks are useful when social distancing is impossible.
We are lucky our second outbreak is still relatively mild compared to the US and Europe — we still have time to get it under control.
Tuesday’s announcement of 484 cases demonstrates this is not a time for political squabbling, citizen uprising or complacency.
We need to mask-up and follow the guidelines to the letter.
People should not rewrite the rules to suit themselves. It’s pretty basic.
Yes, you are meant to wear a mask while exercising — but not if you are running. Yes, you will need to wear one to the shops. No, you don’t need one inside the house.
Obsessing about whether a mask is going to stop you from sipping on a takeaway latte while strolling along the Tan is not the right thing to be doing right now.
The closer we all follow the rules, the sooner we can get this virus under control.
Yesterday’s news shows there’s more we all need to be doing.
A report from the Doherty Institute shows Victorians are among the best in the nation at social distancing, seeing on average only 5.9 people outside the house per day.
But nine out of 10 people do not stay at home and self-isolate while they are waiting for their COVID test results or feel sick.
So, from today, stay home when you can and wear a mask if you do go out. Even one made from an old pair of socks is better than nothing, experts say.
And as for the Premier? Voters will judge him in due course.
Susie O’Brien is a Herald Sun columnist