ScoMo Just Compared Mask Mandates To Sun Protection, And Does He Not Remember ‘No Hat, No Play’?
Scott Morrison spoke to The Today Show about masks, 'common sense', and yes, sunscreen.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has delivered the world’s worst analogy while doubling down on Australia’s lax COVID restrictions by comparing mask requirements to sun safety measures.
“We don’t have to mandate people wearing sunscreen and hats in summer,” said Morrison in an interview with The Today Show, when asked about state resistance to reintroducing compulsory masks amid case spikes across the country.
Clearly he’s never heard of ‘no hat, no play’ in the playground, or seen the tubs of sunscreen religiously carried by both teachers and students alike.
aside from the fact that skin cancer isn't contagious, basically every school DOES have a sun protection mandate sooooooo
next excuse https://t.co/XnrG7MfaKZ
— Jenna Guillaume (@JennaGuillaume) December 21, 2021
“That’s just common sense, and I trust the common sense of Australians,” he said, refusing to intervene on state health policy. In April last year, he had also described the government’s absolute failure of a contact tracing app, COVIDSafe, to sunscreen for the pandemic.
Morrison was specifically asked about NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet’s refusal to reinstate mask mandates around the busy holiday period.
“What’s key to us is personal responsibility,” said Perrottet on Sunday. “Vaccination has been key, booster shots are crucial to keep people safe, and as we move through the next phase, case numbers will increase. That is the new normal.”
Mandatory mask wearing was eased in the state last Wednesday, except for while on public transport, on planes, and for front-of-house hospo staff who haven’t been double-vaxxed. Meanwhile, NSW recorded more than 3700 cases today.
“You should be wearing [masks] anyway,” said ScoMo in response. “You don’t have to wait to be told in this country.”
This focus on individual action instead of enforcing policy around health advice is a continual line in the Liberal party. The Prime Minister went on to say that “common sense” is the priority to “ensure that people are taking the right precautions to keep their own health in order with COVID”.
“Can smokers light up again indoors as a celebration of the new era of personal responsibility?” said political journalist Barrie Cassidy on Twitter.
The interview comes as state and territory leaders prepare for an emergency national cabinet meeting on Wednesday. ScoMo has previously hinted he’d push for mask use in the gathering as a concession on avoiding more lockdowns.