Australia's second-biggest city to make mask-wearing compulsory

I think the Federal Government should distribute free masks for pensioner and low income family. One disposable mask cost $ 1.50 in Melbourne. During the last bushfire season, I bought mask one box it has 50 Pieces and it only cost $ 4.50. We have worn masks since Coronavirus founded in Melbourne. I heard some family couldn't afford to buy a mask. You shouldn't go out if you don't wear masks. You will be fined $ 200 if you go out without wearing masks. Coronavirus make our life difficult and our life will never be the same again. Oh! President Xi.

A smart, science backed decision. I'm sure the Aussie Prime Minister won't be saying that those wearing a mask are "Anti-Australian" like one imbecilic President we know....

Time to move to stage 4. Going at this half hearted wont work. The sooner we get it locked down right, the sooner the economic pain is over and the sooner a responsible opening can occur.

Perhaps the chief medical officers and experts there should have checked the latest research about wearing masks earlier and they would not be in the situation they are in now. It has been obvious since around March they were of some use and even the WHO who also denied their usefulness changed their tune a month or two ago, along with many countries adopting their use for some months now. Instead they have been stead fast in denying they were of any use and not necessary for months. Now suddenly a $200 fine for not wearing one!

It will be the bogans who refuse to wear masks in the Australian equivalent of wal mart.

i hope Siouxsie Wiles the idiotic PR covergirl of New zealandscorona saga reads this.　in the height of the pandemic, she was telling the kiwi public that

A masks weren't effective

and

B they needed to be saved for front line medical staff

zenzen imi nai

The Andrews government of Victoria is embarrassing in its ineptitude in managing this mask issue. One would have hoped that alongside all the vehement denials that Aussies needed masks, they would be working away to ensure that when masks did eventually become necessary, there would be a coherent roll-out of information and actual supplies of masks. They have had months. And they have done nothing, it turns out. And now they are caught flat footed and with their pants down with a fumbling, blundering make-shift on-the-run policy. Let this be a lesson to the governments of the other states where masks have not yet become advisable and that they make good use of the last few weeks they have before the virus is rampant in every state. Which it will be. Will any of the other states manage a more pro-active and better resourced policy? It will be interesting to see.

This whole world has been so agonizingly slow to adopt masks to help stem the spread of this disease.

East Asian countries have had this custom prior to the outbreak so they were on board much sooner and the infection numbers have been relatively smaller.

Why has it taken so long for the rest of the world to have learned from this?

speed

This whole world has been so agonizingly slow to adopt masks to help stem the spread of this disease.

Don't forget that when this thing first erupted out of mainland China, the CCP was asking their companies and citizens to buy up all available stocks from abroad and bring to China, while at the same time the WHO (upon instruction from the CCP) said masks were not necessary. Even in Japan with its long tradition of masks, these things had disappeared from the shelves in March.

As for the situation now, I think some common sense is called for. I see people wearing masks out in the open with nobody around. Tell me that makes any sense at all.

Why has it taken so long for the rest of the world to have learned from this?

That is because before this outbreak in Melbourne there was no community transmission in Australia. Social distancing, good hygienes and other measures are promoted or implemented to prevent the spread. Even now in other parts of Victoria mask is not compulsory. I live in Brisbane and the number of people wearing masks have dropped a lot since late March. However, staff at Daiso and Uniqlo are all wearing masks. At Apple store, they even give face masks to people entering the store to wear them.

As for the situation now, I think some common sense is called for. I see people wearing masks out in the open with nobody around. Tell me that makes any sense at all.

A few months ago when the whole Australia was in lockdown I saw a young guy at my local shopping centre wearing a top of the line industrial respirator. I have also seen many people wearing masks when driving in their own cars.