Roti, kapra aur mask

Discomfort in the name of prevention, looking like an armed robber while abiding by the established rules — a new normal is upon us. If there is one image that represents this era, it is the face mask. And face masks are slowly starting to morph from pandemic necessity to human billboards.

The use of masks may be uneven, but it has become a daily reality. People are in a fix on whether they should buy a mask and let their family go hungry, or buy food and go out into packed places without being able to afford a mask. Wearing a mask in public has become compulsory in Pakistan, which is why rise in demand and prices. The refusal to cover the nose is now a legal trespass. For many of us, having access to masks is a privilege. But while the economy has shrunk at a horribly fast pace this year than it has in decades, mask poverty is soon becoming an issue that needs to be addressed.

You have food, water, clothes, and shelter. What else do you need? You need a mask! It is something that should be between your ears covering your nose and mouth, and not in your hands. This virus has caged the world and brought life to a standstill. It is like a roulette wheel. Nobody knows who will suffer from the virus and who will not. Who will survive it and who will not. There is so much controversy and it only seems that there will be new social norms and laws post-pandemic. Masks are here for the long run — just like seatbelts, the use of which no one questions now.

Wearing a mask wearing has become a statement of how you behave towards others because you wear a mask not just to protect yourself, but to protect others as well. Unfortunately, not everyone believes that masks actually help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We have only ourselves to blame for that. We have done a poor job of explaining the reason for wearing a mask to people in a manner whereby they can trust the information provided. For many, wearing a mask represents government control over the population. Something conservatives hate, and liberals embrace. Mask wearing can be the most democratic gesture in our society. Covering your face with a mask is like casting a vote for the pandemic to end.

Wearing a mask is not only important, it is life-saving. Our new normal is: “roti, kapra aur mask”. They have become an integral part of our life. In developing nations, where people cannot choose between buying masks and food for their families, this new normal is definitely creating problems. Coronavirus does not distinguish between race or religion, prince or peasant, but it does differentiate between how it impacts individuals depending on their access to food, shelter, health and other basic needs. People are struggling for their bread and butter cannot pay for their safety masks. Therefore, the ones in power should provide protective gear to the poor and vulnerable.

Our country can afford masks. Every person in Pakistan ought to be fed and provided with a mask. There is lawlessness because we are desperate. This virus is new, and it will take a while to get a grip on how to treat and prevent it. Until then, mask up. The better a job we do with that now, the sooner will we be able to discontinue wearing them. During a global pandemic, face masks are not antithetical to freedom, they are the necessary tools to get our freedom back. We can fight this storm together with our masks on but six feet apart.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2020.

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