New weapon to tackle COVID

Personal liberties are vitally important in our democracy. For a serious reason — the fight against terrorism — Australians have surrendered some liberties in recent years. The Andrews government has told the people of Melbourne and the Mitchell shire to do so now, in the fight against COVID-19. The compulsory wearing of masks outside home and school, with $200 fines for noncompliance, goes against the principle of choice.

On the positive side, scientific evidence increasingly suggests facial coverings help prevent transmission of the virus, even if an infected wearer is in contact with others. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says the pandemic could be controlled in four to eight weeks if “we could get everybody to wear a mask”. If so, masks are a small price to allow the economy to function as well as possible, saving businesses and jobs and limiting public debt. Masks are a health issue, not a political issue, and should be treated as such. Victorian authorities must ensure masks are readily available to all.

Health Minister Greg Hunt is backing Victoria’s decision as a potential life-saver. And he reiterated the importance of testing and contact tracing. Nor should anybody think a mask is a substitute for handwashing and social distancing. Medical experts have warned that even the best masks are not foolproof. But they appear to be a useful tool. And they do not impede on work, shopping and other activities.

Grim statistics at the weekend underlined why every reasonable tool is needed to fight the virus, especially if more drastic and costly restrictions are to be avoided. Of 363 new cases in Victoria on Sunday, 330 were from unknown sources. Of 2837 active cases in the state, 130 people are in hospital, 28 in intensive care. NSW’s caseload rose by 15, with acting national Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly warning the potential for virus transmission was higher in NSW, which has fewer restrictions than Melbourne. The overseas situation shows the speed of the contagion, with 10,000 new cases daily in both Florida and Texas, where frontline doctors say they have “never seen anything like this COVID surge’’.