Opinions of Thursday, 18 February 2021

Columnist: Osei Tutu

The irony of the mask-wearing

A patient in nose mask A patient in nose mask

The spike in the Covid-19 cases that has become known as the second wave is there for all to see. People are getting alarmed and have started wearing the nose masks with the devotion of a monk. That is cool.

What is not too cool is the irony in the wearing of the mask. One could be seen wearing the mask throughout the day. But at the point when he wants to talk to another person in a close range, that is when he removes the mask or slides it down to the chin before he talks.

I cringe any time I see such scenarios being played out. This is because the very moment of talking to someone close by without wearing a mask is the moment the virus can be transmitted from one person to the other. Maybe education has still not gone down well.

In as much as people would wish to protect themselves and others from the virus, if they don't get the right education all their effort will amount to nothing and the virus shall continue to spread unabated.

I think it would be appropriate to drum it home to the people that the virus is transmitted through fluid and that talking to someone at close range without wearing a mask is the moment one would most likely contract or transmit the virus. It is at that moment that saliva, which borne the virus, can be transferred from one person to another. So that is the moment one must wear the mask even more securely.

If the masses are properly educated in this way I believe the virus can be contained.