Face masks reduce the risk of coronavirus infection by 77 per cent according to new medical research published on Tuesday. The review, published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, found face masks were 77 percent effective at stopping infection, while respirators were 96 percent effective. Face masks are not a substitute for social distancing, however. Australia's health authorities continue to discourage public face mask wearing, encouraging them only for people who show symptoms. The Health Department is still discouraging widespread facemask use despite new studies showing it reduces the spread of infection.

Source: Daily Mail June 02, 2020 16:21 UTC