MASK POLICY
Patient safety is of utmost importance. Dr Sonia wears a mask for all face to face consultations to ensure protection for immunocompromised family members and patients. Masks are to be worn inside at all times by all people attending the practice. Masks are not required at the covered seating on the porch outside the front of the practice. Please bring a surgical mask to your appointment. Thank you for your understanding.
The short (1 minute 49 seconds) video below by the University of New South Wales gives a great visual on why mask wearing is effective. It demonstrates the difference between no mask, a one-layer cloth mask, a two-layer cloth mask, and a surgical mask when a person is talking (counting 1-10), coughing and sneezing. Bear in mind that many respiratory and other viruses are tiny, but they mainly travel in droplets. Wearing a surgical mask is not 100% effective, but it will greatly reduce the amount of viral particles that a person is exposed to (see video below) and therefore greatly reduce the likelihood of becoming infected with a pathogen. It also reduces the amount of droplets ending up on surface areas of furniture, etc. If both parties are wearing a mask, it reduces the risk further.