Health experts blast primary school mask rule

Health experts have blasted an Andrews Government decision to keep some primary school children in masks.

Although masks scrapped in most settings from 11.59pm on Friday, kids in grades three to six must still wear them in class.

Students in prep to grade two and secondary students do not need to wear masks.

James Cook University professor of infectious diseases modelling Emma McBryde, told the Herald Sun it’s “a silly measure to keep a small cohort of young children wearing masks”.

The government is blaming low child vaccination rates for the mask rule.

Around 600,000 more young people need their first shot for the national vaccination target to be reached.

“It’s almost like putting the carrot out the front and just saying ‘Come on everyone, get vaccinated and if you do you get this’,” Dean of the School of Health Sciences at Swinburne University, Professor Bruce Thompson, told Ross and Russel.

“I don’t think they really need to do this.”

Press PLAY below for Professor Thompson’s view