Vaccinations the Only Way to Get Rid of Masks in the Classroom: Federal Health Minister

Children wearing masks. (L. Julia/Shutterstock)

Victoria has been encouraged by the federal Health Minister Greg Hunt to launch a mass COVID-19 vaccination program in schools to boost vaccination rates so mask mandates can be removed for students.

The state has maintained masks for students in grades three to six despite being the state with the highest vaccination rates for children aged 5 to 11 in Australia (pdf).

Speaking at the press conference on Feb. 23, the Minister for Health Greg Hunt said that in the light of the federal government pushing for a mass vaccination program across the states, he recognised that Victoria has “taken a different path.”

Hunt said if the decision Victoria made “is about vaccination rates, which as I say are some of the highest in the world, then the best way to turbocharge those school-based vaccination rates is with a school-based program.

“They know how to do it, they’re good at it, and they have the additional capacity now that the pressure has come off in state clinics.”

He also highlighted that the state’s decision to maintain masks for students in grade three and higher in primary school can make it “difficult” for parents.

Queensland has announced there will be no masks from Mar. 4. While NSW has stated that masks will only be required for public transport, planes, and indoors at airports, hospitals, aged and disability care facilities, corrections facilities, and indoor music festivals with more than 1,000 people.

The states’ mask rule changes come as Victoria celebrates an almost 54 percent vaccination rate for children in that age category for receiving one dose, compared with 47 percent in NSW and 42 percent in Queensland.

However, Victorian health minister Martin Foley slammed Hunt’s statements.

“Last year, we stepped in to fix the commonwealth’s failed vaccination program, and now we are having to do it all over again with state-run pop-up clinics and grants for primary care providers to provide ­­in-reach vaccination programs in Victorian schools,” he said.

“We want to see less talk and more action from the federal government, who are ultimately responsible for the national child-vaccination program.”

The Victorian Government has implemented several interventions to lift vaccination rates among children, including pop-up clinics for vulnerable children at sites such as Melbourne Zoo and the Melbourne Museum.

Meanwhile, the Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy criticised the Victorian government’s decision to maintain mask-wearing for primary students in classrooms even though that mandate does not stretch to primary school teachers as “out of touch.”

“How’s it going to work in a composite – a Grade 2, 3 composite – half the class is going to wear a mask and half won’t? It is completely and utterly out of touch,” he said.