Australia's Covid-19 face mask advice: are reusable or washable masks best, and what are the rules?

The health department now recommends masks where community transmission of coronavirus is occurring and physical distancing is difficult, and Victoria has made face masks mandatory in the state. From washable cloth face masks to reusable ones and how to wear them, here's what you need to know

• Where to buy face masks in Australia - and how to make your own
• What kind of face mask gives the best protection?
• Melbourne coronavirus map: where cases are rising or falling
• Sydney coronavirus map: where cases are rising or falling
• Are stage 4 lockdown restrictions coming to Victoria?

From midnight Sunday 2 August face masks and coverings will be mandatory across Victoria in public places as the state struggles to contain a second-wave outbreak of Covid-19. Previously the mandatory mask rule was limited to metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire.

The move to mandatory masks follows a decision by the national cabinet to update its position on the use of face masks, deciding that people should wear them where there is community transmission and where social distancing is difficult.