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When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
All across Australia, during these unprecedented tough times, the community is coming together.
We need to do all we can to look after ourselves and our loved ones.
Wearing a mask when out and about isn't a sign of weakness.
It's a sign we care about those around us.
The Australian Medical Association is calling for government guidelines on mask wearing and even Prime Minister Scott Morrison wore a mask during a medical appointment recently.
He says he has no qualms about being seen with a face covering in public.
The boffins with much more knowledge about all this agree.
Chair in Epidemiology Professor Catherine Bennett, from Deakin's Institute for Health Transformation, says a recent paper had found there was sufficient evidence to show that wearing a mask provided additional protection.
"It just gives us that extra layer and hopefully that will stop the spread within regional centres, even if there has been one or two cases nearby," she says.
In Victoria things aren't looking great, but as always, community spirit is triumphing.
Milliner and now mask maker Sharon Wilson is working round the clock to supply masks for her community in south-west Victoria.
She estimates she has made about 250 face masks in 10 days and has about 500 on order.
Still, some people are questioning if wearing a face covering is necessary.
"I need to take it more seriously," one of our own ACM journalists writes.
"I'm the mother to two boys. I have parents aged in their late 60s. I, like everyone else, need to invest in a mask. It will be reluctantly, but in these crazy times we are living in, I need to shrug off the 'she'll be right' attitude."
There's some really strict rules around visiting our loved ones in aged care and health care settings, but we know it's for the greater good.
"We know this will be difficult for Victorian families, but ultimately this is about keeping the people we love safe," Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos says.
Just like the community did during the bushfires, we need to pull together and support each other.
So, even though times are tough, let's do the right thing.
Mask up when out in public and you can't socially distance - for ourselves, our loved ones and our community.
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