Dr Kerryn Phelps calls for indoor masks after insisting Covid-19 pandemic ‘is not over’

A top Australian doctor has called for the reinstatement of several Covid restrictions in a renewed push for governments to step in.

Former Australian Medical Association president Dr Kerryn Phelps has called for the reinstatement of a number of Covid-19 restrictions, insisting the pandemic is far from over with still many unknown factors to consider.

Speaking with 2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham on Thursday morning, Dr Phelps said the fact there was still little to no long term data on the health implications meant Aussies must be prepared to scale back their behaviour, over two years after the virus first arrived Down Under.

Sub-variants of the highly transmissible Omicron strain were also cause for concern, Dr Phelps claimed, urging the public to avoid large gatherings and continue wearing masks.

“We don’t know what the long term implications are for a child,” she said.

“We’re only just starting to understand after two years what the short and medium implications are for some people.

“We’re now seeing children developing long Covid. They may have had initially what we would call a mild case but we don’t know the long term implications for their cognitive development, their brain development and for their heart.”

Her comments came after NSW recorded 20,000 new cases on Thursday and almost 30,500 in the 24 hours prior.

“We need to continue with indoor masking at the moment because the numbers are heading upwards,” she continued.

“We also have medically vulnerable people in the community who aren’t able to live their lives and are living in a lockdown situation. There’s this crazy notion out there that the pandemic’s over … the pandemic is not over.”

Host Fordham disagreed and argued masks should be an opt-in measure despite Dr Phelps’ insistence on the reinstatement of indoor mask mandates.

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Former Australian Medical Association president Dr Kerryn Phelps has called for the reinstatement of a number of Covid-19 restrictions.

“Ben, it’s not really the argument to be made. The argument to be made is about protecting each other as well as yourself,” she said.

“You can make the choice to protect yourself and I certainly make the choice to protect myself with a N95 mask where I think I’ll be in a risk situation, particularly indoors such as a supermarket or slightly crowded space.

“I think it’s really important to consider that there are medically vulnerable people in the community … and they can’t get out and about.”

Dr Phelps stressed she was not advocating another lockdown, an option that has been swiped off the table by both NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and the Prime Minister.

Members of the public were quick to call in and express their frustration with Dr Phelps’ recommendations

“People have had enough,” Fordham said.

“You take whatever precautions you can and you get on with life. Otherwise there’s no life worth living.”

2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham said the public were well and truly over restrictions, calling for masks to be optional.

NSW recorded 20,000 new cases on Thursday and almost 30,500 in the 24 hours prior.

The interview came after NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard delivered a warning about the new subvariant of Omicron on the Today show this week.

Mr Hazzard declared “the pandemic has not gone away” as numbers take another upward trend.

“I’m here to talk about Covid. I want to talk about Covid,” the Health Minister said, before launching into a rundown of his state’s current virus situation.

Since the middle of last week, NSW has reported more new Covid-19 cases than it has seen in more than a month combined – a result of key restrictions being eased at the beginning of March, and underpinned by the new BA.2 Omicron subvariant.