Tuesday 17 May 2022 01:46 AM Top doctors plead with Australians to wear face coverings anywhere 'winter ... trends now
Top doctors are pleading with Australians to wear masks anywhere 'winter viruses' like the flu can spread - not just Covid.
The Australian Medical Association advised Victorians mask up indoors and avoid sports stadiums as the country braces for cooler weather.
Epidemiologists warned the state's ambulances and hospital system would be put under pressure from a surge in Covid cases and a worsening flu season.
Dr Roderick McRae, the president of the Victorian branch of the Australian Medical Association, will spearhead a move to reinstate masks indoors.
The country's top doctors have pleaded with Australians to wear face coverings anywhere 'winter viruses' can spread as temperatures drop (pictured, masked shoppers in Sydney)
Dr Roderick McRae, the President of the Victorian branch of the Australian Medical Association, (pictured) will spearhead a move to reinstate masks in several settings
He said the group would support 'moderate, but sensible' mandates like masks in supermarkets, theatres, concert halls, and sport stadiums.
Dr McRae called on Victorians to voluntarily wear masks and avoid large gatherings as the state's hospital crisis worsens.
He said while he understood the community wanted a return to pre-Covid normalcy, a relaxing of mask rules could see the health system suffer.
'Today the public hospital system is in crisis. We've heard of nothing but ambulance ramping from summer. It's only set to get worse,' Dr McRae said.
'The community needs to decide what’s most important – not prejudicing the public hospital system or going to five football matches over five days a week.'
Mask mandates for hospitality and retail workers were scrapped last month with face coverings no longer required in most indoor settings.
Face coverings still need to be worn on
