Add Category
From Wednesday, July 22, at 11:59pm, residents of metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire will be required to wear a face mask outside of their homes or risk a fine of $200.
The new rule, which was announced by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday, follows the government’s previous advice to wear a mask only in situations where it was not possible to maintain social distancing, such as crowded supermarkets.
The stronger stance comes as Victoria continues to see triple-digit increases in new coronavirus cases each day, despite a return to stage 3 restrictions on July 8.
The announcement saw shoppers scrambling to purchase masks on Sunday and Monday, with many supermarkets, chemists, pharmacies and hardware stores offering disposable masks, and major retailers, such as Cotton On, advertising reusable cloth masks in-store and online.
Some small businesses that had pivoted to making or selling face masks in recent months ran out of stock and warned of delays in fulfilling online orders.
Many customers hoping to purchase reusable face masks made by migrants, refugees and asylum seekers at The Social Studio, Second Stitch and SisterWorks, three social enterprises that recently started making masks in Melbourne, were left disappointed.
Amid the spike in consumer demand, retailers are being urged to provide staff with free face masks.
“Consistent with current health advice, the SDA encourages staff to wear a face mask which should be provided by the employer,” a spokesperson for the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) told Inside Retail.
The union has been pushing employers to adopt its 10 Point Covid-19 Safety Plan for the past several months and says retailers should have processes in place for staff to access face masks, change masks during shifts and safely dispose of them.
Currently, the face mask requirement only applies to metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire from 11:59pm on Wednesday, but businesses may choose to enforce face masks across their networks.
In the US, major retailers including Walmart, Target and Best Buy, have made face masks a condition of entry to their stores nationwide, even though only some state and local governments in the US require masks to be worn in public.
Georgie Chapman, a partner at HR Legal, said employers could require team members to wear a face mask if they considered it necessary to create a safe working environment.
“We consider that an employer can in certain circumstances lawfully direct employees to wear face masks, where it considers it necessary and appropriate in order to minimise the risk of exposure to Covid-19,” Chapman said.
“This will be particularly important in environments where there is a high degree of customer interaction and/or if physical distancing is not practicable.”
If an employer directs employees to wear a face mask, they must also provide instructions on how to properly wear and remove a face mask. They may also be obligated to provide the masks, or pay for or reimburse employees for the costs, Chapman explained.
“In other parts of Australia, this may not be a necessary or proportionate response at this stage, but may be considered as the situation in each region develops,” she said.