Face masks to be mandatory in Melbourne, Australia from this week
Masks made mandatory, aged care visits limited as 363 cases announced
Face coverings will become mandatory in Melbourne and Mitchell Shire as authorities move to restrict visits to aged care centres after 363 new cases of coronavirus and three further deaths.
The state government has restricted visits to homes to include carers only, and the federal government will provide funding to ensure casual care staff are not moving between facilities and potentially spreading the virus.
It will also crack down on social distancing in workplaces, where more than 80 per cent of transmission has occurred since mid-May, implementing inspections and fines for employers.
Previously, people have been asked to wear a mask if they are undertaking an activity where they cannot safely stay 1.5m from others.
Now, people leaving home for one of the four essential reasons will need to wear face coverings – which can be a mask or an item such as a scarf or bandanna. From 11.59pm on Wednesday, people caught outside without masks could be subject to a $200 fine unless they can demonstrate to police why they should not be wearing one.
According to the government, it may be reasonable not to wear a mask if a person is going for a run; has medical issues that make mask wearing difficult; has a job that is not amenable to mask wearing; or is a child under 12.
Even people with excuses will be required to carry a face covering when they leave home. Teachers will not be required to wear masks in the classroom.
Premier Daniel Andrews, who removed a navy blue face mask before addressing reporters, said he hoped no $200 fines would be issued and the directive would lead to behavioural change and an acceptance that masks would be required for a long time.
"We are going to be wearing masks in Victoria, and potentially in other parts of the country, for a very long time. There's no vaccine to this wildly infectious virus, and it's a simple thing but it's about changing habits," he said.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the directive would allow the state to achieve its goal of single-digit or zero daily case growth more quickly.
He said face coverings would play a major role in stabilising what he called the daily case "numbers rollercoaster".
He said jurisdictions around the world that made face coverings mandatory had suppressed the virus far more effectively than those that did not.
"It reduces the load that gets out between people," Professor Sutton said, emphasising the importance of masks covering a person’s mouth and nose. Mask wearing reduced transmission rates by two-thirds or more, he said.
Another 363 cases of coronavirus were recorded in Victoria on Sunday, and there have been a further three deaths.
Of the new cases, about 30 are linked to known outbreaks and 327 are being investigated. More than 26,000 tests were conducted on Saturday.
Two men and a woman, each in their 90s, have died. Mr Andrews expressed condolences and said it would be a "particularly sad time" for their families.
Professor Sutton said there was "no absolutely clear sign" of infection figures trending downwards.
Two people, one at the Melbourne Remand Centre and one at a youth prison, have contracted the virus.
There are 130 people in hospital with COVID-19, an increase of 20 within 24 hours, and 28 in intensive care, three more than the day before.
The state government has identified casual workers with no access to leave entitlements attending work while sick, including at aged care homes, as a main driver of community transmission.
Mr Andrews said about 80 per cent of transmission since mid-May had occurred in workplaces, and much of it among casual workers without access to sick leave, who worked while displaying symptoms.
WorkSafe, assisted by Victoria Police and Emergency Management Victoria, will conduct a blitz of work sites to ensure physical distancing rules are being enforced.
"Many casual staff are moving into nursing home environments and bringing the virus to work with them. We know the catastrophic impact that can have on very vulnerable residents," Mr Andrews said.
"It's contributing to the community transmission within the Victorian community in a significant way."
Mr Andrews said the government’s $1500 worker support payment was available to any employee who was not able to work due to illness. He urged casual workers to take up the payment rather than attend work while sick.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/masks-made-mandatory-aged-care-visits-limited-as-363-cases-announced-20200719-p55dew.html