Face mask use

Wearing a face mask is the easiest of the Covid safety precautions — and the most useful too. Unfortunately though, this preventive measure is being neglected the most by people in our country who only wear a face mask when they are forced to — like by a policeman on the road or by the doorman outside a bank or a shopping mall. Men mostly carry it in their pockets, and women keep it safe in their purses. Motorists have it displayed on the dashboards of their vehicles.

Experts say the coronavirus can be spread simply through speaking, and according to a study, we spray thousands of droplets invisible to the naked eye into the air just by uttering the words “stay healthy”. A face mask is thus the best protection when one has no other option but to stay in close proximity with others, like on a passenger bus or in a classroom. This is why many countries have imposed heavy fines on mask violation. Some even show a zero tolerance, subjecting the violators to jail sentences.

In our country, new guidelines issued by the NCOC early this month included a Rs100 fine for not wearing a face mask in the public, but there is little to no implementation in this regard. Face mask is nearly completely ignored — rather spurned. We have even seen people avoiding this most important piece of safety even in most threatening situations — like during huge political gatherings, putting their lives and those of others in danger.

With the coronavirus infection peaking again — evident from the daily new cases having exceeded 3,000 and the deaths nearing 60 — the need for the people to follow the SOPs, including the use of face mask, assumes even greater significance. Thus the authorities must avoid being lenient with people, as has been the case thus far, and make sure that they wear face mask while in public.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2020.

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