2/ Victoria's July return to work target rests on the (not unreasonable) assumption that we get thru June with effective containment of (inevitable) outbreaks. This week, fed experts gave green light to public mask use. The mask problem is.. #covid19 #auspol
3/ that with the current no. of #covid19 cases in Aus, widespread mask use won't make a huge difference. But we know numbers will rise in June. And gov won't make mask use mandatory as that's not our politics & they won't promote masks much as we don't have enough.. meanwhile...
4/ Taiwan has been the gold standard of #covid19 control. Total 400 odd cases till now, with relatively minimal lockdown, #TestTraceIsolate, super early travel restrictions and.... enormous emphasis on masks. They make 9 million #Masks PER DAY. Mask use is extremely widespread.
5/ There is a lot to discuss here, but one legit bone of contention is the evidence surrounding masks. 1 strawman I see is that #masks don't protect the user if not used perfectly. But it's also about source control, i.e. masks protecting not the wearer, but everyone around them.
6/ I accept that evidence on public use of #masks is far from perfect, but I also wonder - what would satisfactory standard of evidence look like? Can we expect a trial design that is ethical/realistic? What would it take for us to bite the bullet? #covid19
7 Regardless, staggered work times + ensuring FLEXIBILITY of work from office/home will be key. A few days ago, S.Korea reimposed lockdowns, citing return of workplace attendance as an obstacle to #TestTraceIsolate. If SK is having problems with it, that's a red flag to the world
(Fin)
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