THURSDAY, MAY 09, 2024
Jesuin George Fernandes
History tells us that nothing has killed more human beings and caused mass disasters than infectious diseases; COVID-19 shows how vulnerable we remain! The pandemic has disrupted modern society on a scale that most living people had never witnessed before and way beyond anybody’s imagination.
The Government has rightly extended the 21 days lockdown for a further period of 19 days. But for how long can we go on extending lockdowns? Sooner than later the world will have to return back to normalcy or whatever normalcy is possible without letting our guard down. If our farmers don’t grow and if our factory workers don’t work, from where will our food and other essentials come from? If we don't repair our roofs, if our municipalities and panchayats don’t collect the garbage, maintain & clean the gutters, the consequences will be disastrous.
It can take up to 14 days for a COVID-19 infected person to develop symptoms, besides this a significant portion of cases are asymptomatic, which means that when these infected people go to public places they can unintentionally spread the virus to others. When infected people cough, sneeze or talk, they release the viruses in the air that infect others nearby. This is where the little yet very important piece of protection called 'face mask' comes in – the world does not wear it for fun or fashion!
Public use of face mask is common in places like China, South Korea and Japan; a likely reason why these countries have been able to tackle the novel Corona virus far better. Wearing masks also promotes a sense of community solidarity and collective effort in fighting the pandemic. The USA tops the Global Security health Index chart ‑ a report card that grades every country on its pandemic preparedness. The United States of America was supposed to be the readiest of all nations, but that illusion has been shattered recently perhaps because of America’s complacency. Despite months of advance warning as the virus spread quickly from country to country, when America was finally tested by COVID-19, it failed!
American experience is a lesson that there is no room for complacency when it comes to a deadly little known highly infectious virus. As confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to rise and the death toll keeps mounting in America, the CDC (Centres for Diseases control & Prevention) is now recommending that everyone use face masks in public.
The Government of Goa should supply good quality face masks to citizens and make wearing them compulsory in public. Wearing masks, however, should not create a false sense of security least we forget the other important preventive protocols like social distancing and personal hygiene. If we use face masks, maintain social distancing & hygiene, seal our borders effectively, invoke the blessing of Goencho Saib and continue testing all suspected cases, Goa will be safe. The State Govt will do well to also take this opportunity to ban spitting in public and make it a punishable offence.
In Japan, wearing face masks has become a part of social etiquette. The custom that first started as a reaction to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic increased in scale over the past several years. The HINI influenza epidemic of 2009 further spurred the custom, and today Japan has a variety of masks ‑ a mask for every occasion. No doubt the Japanese live longer!
Goans should adopt this face mask etiquette at least until the COVID-19 monster is soundly bottled up... Who knows, face masks may outlive the pandemic and stay on for reasons of Health & fashion!
