Australia’s deputy chief medical officer has labelled footage of a woman refusing to wear a mask in a Melbourne Bunnings as “disturbing”, as details emerge of another similar incident at the weekend.
“We’re in this fight together against coronavirus, and mandatory mask wearing is not an enormous ask,” Dr Nick Coatsworth said on Monday.
“I don’t view it as a human rights or civil liberties issue. It is something that we need to do to help bend the curve and bring us down the other side.”
Dr Coatsworth’s comments came after footage of a woman refusing to wear a face mask inside a Bunnings went viral at the weekend. She told workers she was being discriminated against and the request was against the law and her human rights.
The same woman was also involved in a later confrontation with an Australia Post worker.
“The vast majority of Australians will have been disturbed by that. This is a small minority,” Dr Coatsworth said.
“I would like to commend the staff member and the staff in Bunnings and I’m sorry they had to deal with that. There is no room for that behaviour in Australian society.”
Meanwhile, in another incident that emerged on Monday, a woman who calls herself Psychic Oracle Lizzie Rose also posted claims of visiting a Bunnings in Melbourne’s west, and defying orders to wear a mask.
“Management stalked me and called the police, lying [and] stating to police that my exemption was ‘bogus’, which is completely untrue,” she wrote on Facebook on Monday.
Posted by Psychic Oracle Lizzy Rose on Sunday, July 26, 2020
According to her Facebook page, Ms Rose subscribes to conspiracy theories, including that the pandemic is a hoax. Her page also features posts of her visiting areas outside Melbourne’s lockdown.
“It was wonderful to get my nails done and chat with the locals about the truth of the coronavirus agenda and to encourage people to say no to wearing a forced facial muzzle of compliance,” she writes.
Ms Rose also praises Eve Black, who was slammed last week after refusing to give her details at a police checkpoint outside Melbourne.
Ms Rose has about 1200 followers on her Facebook page, many of them supportive of her views. But there has also been robust criticism, with one person calling her a “danger to the community”.
“Well done to you guys for helping extend restrictions further … awesome job. You are all such heroes and are doing an amazing job, keeping our community safe,” writes another.
“With people in Melbourne like you lot, it’s no wonder we are where we are today – too stupid to realise what you are doing is actually making things worse. Grow up, stop being so selfish and wear a mask.”
Posted by Psychic Oracle Lizzy Rose on Saturday, July 25, 2020
The trend for people filming themselves flouting health laws has been widely condemned, with state and federal leaders also weighing in.
“If you are just making a selfish choice that your alleged personal liberty, quoting something you’ve read on some website – this is not about human rights,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday.
“There are 10 families that are going to be burying someone in the next few days. Wear a mask.”
The anti-masker incidents came just hours after Mr Andrews had confirmed the deaths of 10 more Victorians on Sunday – the state’s highest daily toll yet in the pandemic. It also followed COVID-19 survivors revealing ongoing health struggles, even after recovering from the virus.
Independent Tasmania senator Jacqui Lambie also criticised the behaviour.
“I don’t think Australians will put up with that behaviour … doing that sort of stuff is not helping and it’s not considerate and just making trouble,” she told Nine’s Today show on Monday.
Shops such as Bunnings operate on private property and have a right to make requests of customers, including that they wear masks.
On Sunday, Victoria Police said they had issued 126 fines in the previous 24 hours. Twenty $200 fines were handed out to people for failing to wear a mask.
-with AAP
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