The Tasmanian government's back-to-school COVID packs have become the subject of online ridicule, with primary-aged children sent adult-sized masks — with parents being told smaller sizes will be available if needed.
Parents have been posting photos to social media, showing the comically over-sized masks covering not only their child's mouth and nose, but their entire faces.
In a statement, a Department of Education spokesperson confirmed that only adult masks were sent to students, but a total of 600,000 junior-sized masks would be made available.
"One size of surgical masks were included in the student COVID-care packs distributed ahead of returning to school," the spokesperson said.
"However, where that size of mask does not fit the student at primary school, there is a supply of smaller masks available at schools to ensure they are accessible for all students who want to wear them, given they are not mandatory."
David Genford from the Australian Education Union (AEU) said they should have been sent out in the back-to-school packs.
"We've had students provided with adult mask [that] cover almost their whole face.
"We want to make sure we've got something that's actually comfortable for the students and will actually protect them and staff against COVID."
Shadow Education Minister Josh Willie said that, despite assurances smaller masks were available, this had not been communicated to parents, and this would have worsened some parents' anxiety.
To make matters worse, attempts by the department to answer questions from parents on its Facebook page were hampered by what the government said were problems with the social media platform.
'Fanciful list' of relief teachers, says union
Mr Genford said it was not just some parents who are hesitant about going back into the classroom.
According to a survey the union carried out of its own members, just one in five teachers felt safe about returning to work.
While the state government said 1,700 relief teachers would be on hand to pick up the slack, and that there were around 3,000 retired teachers to call on, the union is not convinced.
In a statement, acting education minister Jeremy Rockliff said that significant work had been undertaken, in partnership with Public Health, "to ensure our students will be safe when they return to the classroom tomorrow".
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said that, while mask wearing was not mandatory, "primary schools across Tasmania have received a supply of more than 600,000 junior surgical masks if a child chooses to wear one and does not have their own".
The hiccups come as Tasmania's Education Minister, Sarah Courtney, is due to return to the state after being forced to enter quarantine in France after catching COVID-19 while on holidays there.
