Australian Government secures additional 54 million face masks to contain coronavirus outbreak

The Morrison Government has secured an additional 54 million face masks to help protect medical professionals working to stop the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.

A combination of surgical masks, P2 and N95 respirators have been secured for the National Medical Stockpile, which will be available for medical and aged care professionals to care for patients with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The Government has been working closely with the medical profession, who have highlighted the importance of securing additional personal protective equipment (PPE) to support the response to the global COVID-19 outbreak.

We are grateful for the role of our frontline workers and recognise the need to continue to protect them and support the response.

Australia has a world-class health system and is well prepared to deal with this virus, but we are not immune. The Government’s priority is the health and wellbeing of Australians.

The Morrison Government is taking this outbreak seriously, and our actions to date have meant we have been able to stay ahead of the curve.

We will continue to work to secure additional masks to ensure the National Medical Stockpile remains well stocked, and Australia has enough personal protective equipment to support our medical professionals as the COVID-19 outbreak unfolds. This includes boosting domestic manufacturing capability and capacity.

Our approach puts the health and wellbeing of all Australian’s at the forefront of everything we are doing to deal with this evolving health crisis.

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