It’s been over six months since the whole world is in the grip of the Corona virus pandemic. In every nook and cranny of the world, the fear and uncertainty is hanging like a Damocles sword on the head of all and sundry. The virus is alive and kicking. No second thought on that. The spiralling positive cases is a proof itself. And yet people seem to be very allergic to wearing the mask, when it can go a long way in saving many a life.
In a way everyone quakes in their boots the moment they hear about the dreaded corona virus. But the question as elusive as the quicksilver is why are the people throwing caution to the wind by not wearing the mask? Why the people are careless about following the safety norms? These questions are as serious as the fifth act of a tragedy.
Before the virus could spread its treacherous tentacles everywhere, the warning was well spelt out. Together with social distancing and washing hands often with soap for nearly 20 seconds, wearing facial masks was said to be equally significant. The primary objective of wearing a mask is not to pass on the virus to other people. Even the asymptomatic people can pass the virus to healthy people unknowingly through nasal droplets or through saliva.
It seems people have made a mockery of this norm. Take any public place, a store, market or even a bank or a government office, either people are seen not wearing the masks or masks are worn below the nose or the chin. It seems more of a fashion or to escape the fine levied by officers in uniform, than the seriousness behind it.
Some of the countries of the world are strictly following this norm making wearing of masks mandatory. Those who are caught not wearing have to pay the fine through their nose. In India rules and laws are made but not followed.
It has been found that cloth face coverings are most likely to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus when they are widely used by people in public settings. And countries that went full throttle in putting into practice the norms of wearing face masks, testing, isolation and social distancing early in the pandemic have successfully slowed the spread of the virus. When the writing on the wall was clear no lessons were learnt by our government.
Public needs to be made aware of the importance of wearing the facial masks time and again by all means of print, visual and social media. While surgical and N95 masks are highly advised, cloth face coverings and masks are also said to be equally effective.
In an infographic document on how to wear non-medical fabric masks safely, WHO advised against making the following mistakes: Do not wear a mask that looks damaged; Do not wear a loose mask; Do not wear the mask below your nose; Do not remove the mask when there are people within a metre’s distance; Avoid wearing a mask that makes it difficult for you to breathe through; Do not wear a dirty or wet mask; Do not share your mask with others.
Not wearing a mask can unfortunately be a dice with death. The mask will definitely keep the virus away from darkening your door or for that matter, someone else’s door.
