ABC coronavirus expert Dr Norman Swan has said Canberra’s failure to mandate mask wearing weeks ago may have contributed to Victoria’s outbreak.
On Friday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews urged, but stopped short of mandating, the wearing of masks in public in Melbourne.“I think we would have benefited from mandating masks maybe two or three weeks ago when you started to see the suburbs in Melbourne that were hot spots.“They don’t protect you so much but they stop you spreading these aerosols.
“I think Victoria has been let down at a national level because the national committee advising the government has been down on this aerosol spread, that goes through the air.Dr Swan was referring to the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission , which is based in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and co-ordinates health advice for Australians on the pandemic.
Asked by Waleed Aly about the theory that if people wear masks, they stop social distancing, Dr Swan said, “There is no evidence of that – none whatsoever – in studies that have been done of masks.Dr Swan said if Canberra had mandated mask wearing weeks ago Victorians might have been more protected. Picture: David CairdDr Norman Swan said the Federal Government had a “perplexing” resistance to mask wearing rules.
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