industry & reform
We ’ ve used masks and PPE for infectious diseases for a very long time . They ’ re widespread in medical circles . Why is the science divided ? I think that there was some evidence that was presented , although it wasn ’ t very strong evidence , that standard cloth masks may not be preventative or very useful , and this was cited as evidence you shouldn ’ t promote mask use .
That ’ s all changed with more information and more data from areas where the outbreaks have occurred , as well as all the modelling that ’ s being done and the information on aerosol transmission or particular aerosol transmission of the virus .
I think it ’ s fair to say that with a new outbreak there was confusion . But I must admit , as I think back on this , we ’ ve used masks in medical settings for a long time and we wear them for very good reasons : to protect ourselves and protect our patients from infectious diseases that we can transmit through talking , coughing , sneezing , et cetera . And this is no different .
I think of the HIV epidemic analogy where condom use was recommended . And in fact , there was a federal government campaign to promote this . And while that wasn ’ t popular in all quarters , no doubt that saved a lot of lives . And again , people need to hear the clear messaging and I hope the messaging gets clearer because I still think there ’ s a little bit of confusion .
In Asian nations , when people are sick , as a matter of courtesy people put masks on . Why do Western nations struggle with this idea ?
I think it is cultural . We ’ re not used to wearing masks in public . That ’ s not something that we ’ ve seen in Australia since probably the Spanish flu epidemic . So I think that ’ s probably the explanation . In other parts of the world , this is normal , and indeed , well accepted .
Masks alone are not the answer . It ’ s very much about a combination of strategies . But if you can combine the strategies , and masks are part of that , I think it could make a real difference , and I hope , in Victoria , it will .
When you ’ re running , you don ’ t have to wear masks . And quite a few people were maybe upset by that . What is your view on masks and running ? Well , I think all I can say is I hope that runners stay well away from each other . It ’ s a matter of being well away . The good thing about running outside is the air moves and that brings the microdroplets down very quickly . And there ’ s some experiments about open windows and the ventilation in a room being helpful . The problem is if you ’ re running inside a gym there could be droplets in the air staying there for hours potentially , and that ’ s a risk to others if you ’ re infected .
Is this only an argument because numbers in Australia up until now have been comparatively low ? If we had larger numbers , would we have embraced masks earlier ? In March , April and the initial a wave of infection , most of it was from returned travellers . It was easier to isolate , easier to test and trace in that sense . There was limited community transmission . We didn ’ t really have a big community outbreak , although we were fearful there might have been , but it looks to me like we had limited community outbreak .
This is the real first wave we ’ re having now , in Victoria and probably New South Wales . This is where there ’ s really serious community transmission and this is why now masks make sense . You could have argued at the last lockdown perhaps they were not required , and in hindsight , which
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“ We ’ ve used masks in medical settings for a long time and we wear them for very good reasons … this is no different .
is always the easiest tool to apply , I think that ’ s right .
But this time , to me at least , based on the evidence that I ’ ve seen , it would be very sensible for as many people as possible in outbreak areas , that ’ s in Victoria and New South Wales right now , to wear masks . And if most people comply , it ’ ll make a difference with the other strategies .
What should people look for in an everyday mask ? Obviously , a surgical mask is better than a cloth mask probably , and an N95 mask is better than a surgical mask , but for community situations , it ’ s going to be some kind of cloth mask . The recommendations are it be multilayered , at least three layers , it have a waterresistant fabric if possible . It also needs to be dry and clean .
You can make these out of t-shirts or socks or other materials , and there are videos online to teach you how to do this . There are groups making cloth masks with the characteristics I just described that are good quality that you can purchase . You can also purchase medical masks too , although one always worries about supplies running out if that become more problematic with transmission over time .
I think that they ’ re the characteristics of a good mask , but anything over your face probably helps . And of course , the key thing is to put it on , wash your hands before you put it on , wash your hands after you put it on . Then when you get home , take it off carefully and wash your hands again . Protect yourself from selfinfecting . That ’ s obviously key . And wash it every day if you ’ re using a cloth mask . Don ’ t go out in a dirty cloth mask or a wet cloth mask because that ’ s not probably going to be as effective . ■
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