Singapore Govt distributing free N95 and surgical masks; not perfect but better than Gladys Berejiklian and other Australian leaders who continue to play mask politics

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

Singapore's Strait Times reported: 

Households here will each be given 50 medical-grade surgical masks and 25 N95 respirator masks, which they can collect at 131 supermarket outlets islandwide from Aug 26.

This is the fifth distribution exercise of Temasek Foundation's Stay Prepared initiative, which was introduced to help prepare communities for emergencies such as Covid-19.

Temasek chief executive Ho Ching announced the distribution of the free masks in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Aug 17). The exercise will run from Aug 26 to Sept 26.

There is no such initiative anywhere in Australia, not even in NSW, where the premier has imposed a mask mandate, which she seems happy to ignore.Of course, she probably understands that it is only the N95 masks that might make a difference.If yes, then there is an even greater responsibility on her to make N95 masks available freely, as soon as possible.

Thursday, August 12, 2021

Mask mandate in NSW-We need access to better N95 masks, and for Gladys Berejiklian and co to keep their masks on when in public, including press conferences

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

The failure of the Berejiklian government to rein in the Sydney Covid outbreak could have serious consequences in the state’s north-west where only 8% of Aboriginal communities are fully vaccinated. Photograph: Joel

The NSW Government led by the frequently unmasked Gladys Berejiklian has imposed a mask mandate on the people of NSW. Given their construction and constitution, most cloth and paper masks do little to protect anyone, as this picture illustrates: 

The images are from a recent article in Nature magazine, which concludes with this recommendation: 

Modifications to the N95 masks are proposed to develop the next generation mask with higher efficacy and better breathability.

The Nature study seems to confirm what many have suspected; that cloth and surgical masks do little to prevent the spread of  COVID, and that the mask mandate is yet another example of a government trying to give the impression that it is control.

Meanwhile, given current laws, it is hard to understand why Berejiklian and others should be unmasked at press conferences. We the people of NSW can I am sure understand the premier just as well if she was  properly masked.

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