Masks still needed in GP clinics

Transcript: AMA Queensland Committee of General Practice Chair Dr Maria Boulton, Today Show with Allison Langdon and Karl Stefanovic, Wednesday 23 February 2022

Subjects: Easing COVID restrictions, elective surgery

ALLISON LANGDON:    Mask rules will be relaxed in our biggest states within days with Victoria and Queensland joining New South Wales and lifting mask mandates indoors. Density restrictions are also being scrapped in Queensland by the end of next week. For more, we're joined by Queensland AMA Board Director, Dr Maria Boulton. Thanks for your time this morning, Doctor. Are you on board with these changes?

MARIA BOULTON:    Look, a lot of Queenslanders are going to be very happy about the ease of restrictions. But let's not forget that these helped us fight Delta, they helped us fight Omicron. And people will still need to wear masks if they're going into hospital, if they're going into a GP clinic, if they're going into a vulnerable setting. And just because you don't have to, we do recommend that if people still can't socially isolate that they consider putting a mask back on.

ALLISON LANGDON:    So the number of school children with COVID is still a concern in Queensland, I think you’re close to 2,000 active cases. Are you okay with scaling back restrictions in the classroom?

MARIA BOULTON:    I have all sympathy for teachers who keep on telling kids to put on their mask properly. I think there's a lot more we could be doing in schools. We could be looking at the ventilation, and also the vaccination rates in the five to 11-year-olds aren't where they should be yet. And we encourage parents to come and have that conversation about vaccination rates. Because we are getting entire families who are still becoming ill with COVID, and we cannot be complacent.

ALLISON LANGDON:    So I mean, keeping that in mind, what do you make of Victoria's decision to keep masks for primary school kids?

MARIA BOULTON:    Yeah, once again, there's other things that can be done as well. I think ventilation is really important. There was a recent study done in GP clinics where they found that HEPA filters make a huge difference. And I know that some schools lack good ventilation, and I think there's a lot of work to be done in that area.

ALLISON LANGDON:    Yeah, I think it's really tough trying to get kids to keep those masks on. It makes it difficult for them to communicate with their teachers. Look, density limits and home visitor caps will also be scrapped next Friday. Does the time feel right?

MARIA BOULTON:    Yeah, I think we are at the other end of the peak, and there have been a lot of businesses that have suffered through this. There have been a lot of businesses that have had to shut down through the pandemic. And they are really looking forward to having those density caps lifted. But once again, we are still losing lives. We've lost 468 Queensland lives to date. And it's important that we still continue to do the right thing, so that we don't lose any more.

ALLISON LANGDON:    So is it too soon to be talking about resuming elective surgery? We don't have a date for that yet, of course.

MARIA BOULTON:    Yeah, no, absolutely not. And the Health Minister has mentioned that she would like to see elective surgery resumed by the end of the month. And, you know, elective surgery is not optional. It's not like you're getting Botox or a filler. It's actually important. It's people who need surgery because they have a skin cancer or they're in pain with a knee replacement. It's essential surgery, and the sooner we can get back to it and the sooner we can clear the logjam of surgeries that haven't been done so far, the better. Because patients, they're in pain. They just can't keep waiting.

ALLISON LANGDON:    Yeah, they've been waiting too long. Doctor, thanks for your time this morning.