Twenty years ago, the Australian government threatened punishment and hefty fines against Australians who tried to market surgical face masks on the basis of claims that they worked against viruses.
Let that sink in. The Australian govt. KNEW that masks didn’t protect against virus, yet forced their citizens to wear them anyway.
An article published by the Sydney Morning Herald in 2003 and titled ‘Farce mask: it’s safe for only 20 minutes’ explained how, “Retailers who cash in on community fears about SARS by exaggerating the health benefits of surgical masks could face fines of up to $110,000.”
...“Those masks are only effective so long as they are dry,” said Professor Yvonne Cossart of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University of Sydney.
“As soon as they become saturated with the moisture in your breath they stop doing their job and pass on the droplets.”
Professor Cossart said that the masks would need to be changed every 15-20 minutes to be in any way effective.