The Victorian Rural Doctors Association has called for the state's mask mandate to be reintroduced, saying "personal responsibility is not an effective public health strategy".
Yesterday, Victorian Health Minister Mary-Ann Thomas revealed that she rejected the Chief Health Officer's advice to introduce mask mandates in early education and retail settings.
Victorian Rural Doctors Association president Rob Phair said regional health services were already under the pump with anywhere from 10 to 50 staff members away on any given day and faced a significant increase in COVID hospitalisations.
"So under those circumstances, you'd expect that there will be a reintroduction of mask mandates as the Chief Health Officer recommends,” he said.
Dr Phair said he suspected the Minister's decision was political.
"You have a government which is very reluctant politically to take on the burden of a mandate because of members of the community who are demanding freedom," he said.
"[Masks are] really important at the moment because you have a health system that is under such pressure … especially in the middle of winter, where hospitalisations are going up anyway due to respiratory illnesses."
Dr Phair said if more was not done to curb the spread of the virus it could become even harder to secure elective surgery appointments at regional hospitals.
A government spokesperson said the Minister was "obliged to take social and economic factors into consideration".
They said no other state was introducing mask mandates.
"Another factor in decision making is that there is now widespread access to fourth dose vaccinations and affordable and accessible anti-viral medicine medications," the spokesperson said.
They said the government was working closely with health services and continuing to support the health system through the peak.
'I do lose business'
Warrick Turner, who owns the Little Teacups cafe in Warragul, east of Melbourne, says while he knows mask mandates will help to reduce case numbers but will also affect his bottom line.
"I do have customers that tell me that they only come out for essentials when they have to wear masks and so I do lose business," he said.
He said if staff showed slight symptoms of illness he ensured they got tested and wore a mask to work.
"We always have been fastidious with our adherence to the regulations, but at the moment, without the regulation for mask-wearing, we don't do it," Mr Turner said.
If mask mandates came into place Mr Turner said he would be happy to follow the guidelines but his turnover would be reduced.
"The entire state's exhausted from the regulation and process and I guess some risk has to be taken, and the government's thinking of a risk in terms of business rather than in terms of health," he said.
Mr Turner said illness among staff had led to the business having to close for stretches of five to six days.
"It means I make a loss for the entire month,” he said.
