The Science Party is calling for the establishment of an Australian CDC. Read the policy here.

If you've watched Steven Soderbergh's 2011 film Contagion, you could almost imagine it as a trailer for 2020. Our heroes at the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) struggle to contain a deadly virus ravaging the US and the world, wreaking havoc and sparking civil unrest in its path. Using contact tracing and widespread quarantine, and fighting wild conspiracy theories along the way, they develop a vaccine to halt the devastation.

Dr James Jansson has PhD in mathematical modelling of HIV epidemiology from UNSW and is the Science Party candidate for Eden-Monaro.

Today I make public my call for masks to be made a legal requirement as part of the social distancing rules in situations where many people congregate together. This move is to save lives and save the economy. It will greatly increase most freedoms through prevention of spread of COVID-19. 

Mask use was high, making COVID-19 transmission risk low

There's been a lot of outrage about attending a protest during an epidemic. While it is tempting to simply point out that shopping centres, parks and beaches were similarly packed on that day, there is something that the #BlackLivesMatter protesters did better than average Australians.

They overwhelmingly wore masks.

You should too, because they work, and could help us eliminate COVID-19. 

A lot of people are promoting the idea of using the COVIDSafe app, but its efficacy is likely to be weak and it won't stop you from getting sick, only help prevent you spreading to others. Current hygiene, social distancing, testing and contact tracing are likely to be the most effective way to stop this epidemic.

These are the Science Party's policy recommendations as of 22nd March, 2020. As the situation changes, so will our response.