CANBERRA, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government is considering that wearing face masks might be part of the solution in COVID-19 hotspots.
Paul Kelly, the acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO), on Wednesday said that masks could be part of the solution to preventing the spread of COVID-19 from outbreaks in Victoria.
"I would reiterate our national view that masks are not necessary in most circumstances, but all the way through we have said there are exceptions to that," he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio.
"One of the key areas where that advice may change, and we've always said that from the beginning, is that if the local epidemiology shows that there's a large outbreak, that it might be part of the solution.
"I know the Victorian authorities are looking at that very carefully."
It comes after the Victorian government announced on Tuesday that from 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night 10 postcodes linked to those outbreaks in Victoria will go into local lockdown amid a spike in cases. These "hot zones" will be required to return to Stage 3 Stay at Home restrictions - until at least July 29.
As at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, a total of 7,920 cases have been reported in Australia, including 104 deaths and 7,063 have been reported as recovered from COVID-19, according to the latest figures from the Department of Health.
The department also said the number of new cases in last 24 hours is 87. Of the new cases, 73 is in Victoria.
"This is the fifteenth consecutive day of double-digit case growth in Victoria, with a continuing and concerning number of new cases associated with transmission in households and families," said in a statement on Wednesday from the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria. Enditem
